In a Perfect World Revised
by Hououza
Summary: Set in AU from Episode 26. SA and SR. Under revision.
1. Payback Shinji

**In a Perfect World: 1 – Payback (Shinji)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

Upon opening my eyes the first thing I noticed was the fact that I was not greeted by the sight of an irate red head standing over me, loudly demanding that I get out of bed. This of course, my half awake mind concluded, meant that today was Sunday, the one day we do not have school and as such the one day of the week when Asuka does not come round to wake me. If it weren't for the fact I know she never gets up before noon on a Sunday I would think she would show up today as well out of habit. Pushing those thoughts aside and having come to the conclusion I most likely wouldn't be able to get back to sleep, I pulled back the covers and hauled myself out of bed.

Rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I trudged my way out of my bedroom and into the bathroom, fully intent on taking a shower. The purpose of this was two fold, the first being to wake me up ready to face the day while the second, and perhaps more important, was to alleviate my 'problem' of morning wood…it gets very frustrating waking up with part of your body standing to attention, especially when the person who usually wakes you is a girl, a girl with a very short temper and a hang up about perverts. It wasn't as if I did it on purpose, my dad had explained I was just at that age where my hormones were in flux because I was becoming a man. He had been grinning the whole time, looking at my mother with a distant look in his eyes, based on some of the stories he's told me when mom was out, I think I know why…let's just say I'm not the only male in the family to have received early morning wake up calls from a girl and gotten in trouble because of it. Shaking my head to clear those thoughts from my mind I turned on the shower, spinning the dials until the water was pleasantly warm.

Disrobing I stepped under the warm water, letting it soothe my muscles and wipe the last vestiges of sleep from my mind. My thoughts once again turned back to Asuka, and her early morning wake up calls. In truth, they were hardly necessary these days. Years of being woken up at the same time, six days a week, had conditioned me to wake up at around that time every day, whether she was there or not. These days, since my little 'problem' had developed and she had started slapping me for it I almost wished she wouldn't, I mean how would she like someone to come and wake HER up like that…it was then it dawned on me, the perfect plan for revenge.

Finishing my shower, I pulled a clean towel off the rack and dried myself before wrapping it around my waist and heading back to my room to get dressed. One, Asuka slept late at the weekend. Two, I was already up. Three, she would never be expecting it. I was going to go round there and wake her exactly like she did me! Of course, not having a death wish I would offer to take her to that little café I spotted afterwards for breakfast to appease her wrath. Most likely it would take up most of the morning, a good thing, as I wasn't scheduled to meet Toji and Kensuke at the new arcade that opened in town until the afternoon. Satisfied with my plan I got dressed, choosing a light blue shirt and a pair of black dress pants. I pulled on my socks and exited my room, heading towards the kitchen where I knew my mom and dad would be having breakfast.

"Hi mom, dad."

"Hn."

My father grunted from behind his paper, reading as usual while my mother turned to look at me and greeted me with her usual smile.

"Good morning Shinji, what do you want for breakfast?"

I didn't want to lie to my mom but at the same time I definitely was NOT going to tell her what it was I planned to do especially since Asuka's mother, Kyoko, was my mom's best friend…in the end I decided to compromise.

"It's ok mom, I'm going round Asuka's to ask her to come out for breakfast, I'll eat with her."

My mother paused for a moment, most likely thinking about what I said before breaking into a huge smile.

"That's very nice of you Shinji, a thank you for Asuka for taking the time to wake you every morning?"

I tried to hide a grimace and simply nodded, not trusting my words. My dad actually lowered his paper for a moment after mom turned her attention back to the food she was cooking, fixing me with a look as if to say 'are you serious?' I answered him with an evil smile, one that he quickly caught onto and grinned in return before lifting his paper once again. Calling goodbye to my parents I headed to the door, put on my shoes and headed out onto the landing, walking in the direction of the stairs to head down to Asuka's apartment. Asuka and her mother live two floors down from us in an apartment almost identical to ours. It's just the two of them now since Asuka's father died, he was killed in an accident at where our parents work almost ten years ago now, a day that I remember all too well…

Asuka and I were called to the principal's office in the middle of class without any real reason being given. We walked there in silence, neither one of us knowing what was going on. When we arrived the secretary ushered us inside immediately before turning around and exiting the room, closing the door behind.

"Sit down Mr Ikari, Miss Soryu."

We did as instructed, sitting in the large chairs in front of the principal's desk.

"It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that there has been an accident at your parents' workplace, an explosion occurred in the labs and a number of people were killed."

My heart rate doubled as fear crept across my mind. I glanced over at Asuka and saw her fists gripping the arms of her chair tightly, tension clearly evident on her face.

"At present we have not been informed of specifics casualties but we do know that it took place in the area your parents were working. The survivors have been taken to the hospital, we have organised for the both of you to be taken there now."

The next few minutes seemed to pass slowly, the walk to the front of the school and the following drive to the hospital had felt like an eternity. When at last we arrived we found our parents almost immediately; my mother was comforting Asuka's while my father looked on, a tormented look on his face. At first I felt a sense of relief wash over me, knowing my parents were alright but, then looking over at Asuka, seeing the tears forming in her eyes the realisation hit me…her father was not there, her mother was crying. In a moment of insight I knew then that her father would never be there again and looking over at her I felt my heart ache.

I don't know how long we spent there, waiting before our parents were released and we were all allowed to return home. We ended up in our apartment, Asuka's mother and my parents in the kitchen, Asuka and I in the living room. She was sat on the couch, an angry expression on her face, defiant tears sparkling in her eyes. Not knowing what else to do, having no idea of what to say I walked over to her and tried to catch her in my embrace. She immediately pushed me away, focusing on me with an angry gaze.

"Go away idiot."

I would have to admit I had been so shocked by the anger in her words I had almost done just that but for the first time in my life a spark of defiance had ignited in me and I had refused to run away.

"No."

I stepped forward again, this time resisting her attempts to push me away, even when she began to beat her fists against my chest I continued to pull her closer until she was crushed against me. It was then the tears came, flowing freely down her face and soaking into my shirt. I don't know how long we stayed that way, Asuka silently shaking against me as she continued to cry out her sadness against me. When at last the tears came to an end and she looked up at me with eyes red from crying with in a look in her eyes that at that time I could not place.

"Shinji?"

Her voice was little more than a whisper when she spoke, I could barely hear anything other the sound of my own heartbeat ringing in my ears.

"Yes Asuka?"

"Promise you won't leave me."

I don't know what made her ask that of me, nor would I for a long time realise just how important my answer would be to her.

"I promise Asuka, I'll never leave you."

She hugged me back then, holding me against her as a fresh wave of tears overcame her. That single event forever changed our relationship even as she had stood on her toes and gently pressed her lips against my cheek.

"Thank you Shinji."

Pushing the memory away I turned my attention back to the present, realising that I was now outside their apartment. For a moment I hesitated, that memory had caused feelings that I did not want to deal with to come to the surface. Asuka was very important to me, and although I would never admit it to anyone, she held a special place in my heart. I felt a little guilty about what I was planning to do, but when put against the memories of so many mornings of her painful wake up calls, the guilt was quickly quashed as I felt my resolve strengthen. It wasn't as if I wasn't going to make up for it afterwards, it was just that she deserved a taste of her own medicine for once. I was about to hit the buzzer when the door opened to reveal Asuka's mother standing in the doorway, looking as if she were ready to go out.

"Oh! Hello Shinji, what are you doing over here so early? And on a Sunday no less…"

Panicking slightly, worried that my plan may be in jeopardy I stammered out an answer.

"Hi Mrs Soryu…"

Before I could continue I was cut off by a stern look from her.

"Shinji…I've told you before, you're like family to me."

"Um, sorry aunt Kyoko…I was going to invite Asuka to come and have breakfast with me. Um, you're not going out are you?"

She simply smiled at my nervousness before shaking her head.

"Yes and no. I am but Asuka's not, your parents and I are going to visit some old friends of ours today and won't be back till this evening. In fact I was thinking of asking you to look after Asuka while I was gone, it was very thoughtful of you to offer, I'm sure Asuka will be thrilled."

I was a little surprised by that, I hadn't known that my parents were going out although I do vaguely remember them saying something about it a couple of weeks ago, I hadn't been listening.

"Do you ant me to wake her for you? She can be a bit…difficult when she first wakes up."

Once more sensing that my plan was in danger I answer more quickly and forcefully that I meant to. Deviousness was never my strong suit…

"No! Er…no, that's ok."

She looked at me puzzled for a second before her face softened and I breathed a sigh of relief.

"Alright, please tell Asuka where I've gone. Enjoy yourselves."

Without another words she departed, leaving me standing at the door to the apartment. I stepped inside, slipping of my shoes and walked into the apartment proper, making my way to Asuka's bedroom where she was hopefully asleep, blissfully unaware of what I have planned for her…

As I moved through the apartment my mind drifted back to the last time I entered Asuka's bedroom, almost a year ago now.

Our parents had decided to go to Okinawa for the weekend then as well, we had just completed a round of exams and were really tense. The idea was to help us unwind and relax, before the next term began. Asuka's mom had come up to our apartment early and was helping my mom with the packing, I was told to go and fetch Asuka and bring her down to the car. In a good mood I had rushed off, the key aunt Kyoko had given me stowed safely in my pants pocket. I had raced down the stairs and the entire hall to their apartment, unlocking the door and slipping inside before closing it and slipping of my shoes and navigating my way to Asuka's bedroom. Had I been thinking I would have knocked before entering but as it was I forgot and was greeted by a sight that would remain etched in my memory for the rest of my life…Asuka stood there wearing nothing but her underwear, pulling on a dress. As our eyes met time seemed to stand still and for the tiniest of moments I had felt a brief flicker of desire…

"PERVERT!"

Time resumed its flow as Asuka had screamed at me, obviously none too pleased that I had walked in on her when she was undressed. Fearing for my life, I had ran out of the room, tearing through the apartment and out into the hall. Asuka had followed, screaming curses, every last one promising me a world of pain when she caught me. In the end she managed to pin me at the foot of the stairs, her dress hanging off her shoulders as she straddled my hips. It was ironic that it was just then that our parents had chosen to come down and so that was how they found us. We had both blushed up a storm, Asuka getting of me before grabbing my arm none too gently, whispering that I would pay for this later.

As it turned out she never had the chance, we were never really away from our parents long for the rest of the weekend and by the time we got home it was long forgotten. A narrow escape for me but one I hoped not to have to repeat again…once again dragging my thoughts back to the present, I carefully slid the door open and into her room. She was asleep, deep red comforter pulled right up to her neck, lying on her back with a gentle smile spread across her face. She looked so different when she was asleep, all the tension seemed to fade away and give her a very innocent look. Part of my mind commented that she was beautiful but that was a part that I had long ago learned to ignore, she was my friend after all…

Steeling myself for what I was about to do I reached down and took a firm hold of the bedclothes, preparing myself for what I was about to do. Taking a deep breath I pulled hard, lifted the bedclothes away from her and exposing her body to the air even as the words began to form upon my lips…only to die in my throat. Now uncovered, Asuka lay there wearing nothing but a pair of white cotton panties, her chest completely exposed. I couldn't stop staring, as much as I wanted to tear my eyes away I found myself entranced by her naked flesh. That same part of me that had spoken of her beauty before now returned, its voice far louder than before. I was filled with a sudden sense of longing, not simply for her naked boy and the forbidden pleasures it could offer but for her companionship, her presence, her warmth. Perhaps had I been able to pursue that train of thought a moment longer I would have come to a very important conclusion but as it was my thoughts were interrupted when Asuka stirred slightly, mumbling something that sounded like 'cold' before reaching out, catching hold of my shirt and pulling hard…

Caught off guard I lost my balance and fell right on top of her, coving her with my body. Finding myself surprisingly calm I took stock of my situation…I was currently in Asuka's bedroom, laying on top of her almost naked body with her arms wrapped tightly around me, squeezing me in rather uncomfortable ways. In short, I was a dead man. I shifted slightly; trying to get free only to have Asuka murmur something in her sleep I couldn't understand and clutch me tighter. I tried once again and this time she shifted slightly before opening here eyes and looking straight into mine…before she started unbuttoning my shirt! What the hell was happening? Why was I still alive? Not only that but why was Asuka now unbuttoning my shirt? Terrified I pulled away sharply and leapt of the bed, fleeing her room as fast as my legs could carry me. I made it to the door before I heard a scream behind me, not liking my chances I abandoned my attempt to put my shoes on and made a run for it…I got no further than the stairs when Asuka tackled me from behind, turning as I fell we landed with Asuka on top of me, straddling my body. Of course this meant that I once again had a perfect view of her breasts and once again I found my eyes inexplicably drawn towards them. She seemed to noticed this and shrieked before pressing herself firmly against me, something that if it did not stop soon would cause me to have a very very unfortunate and entirely involuntary reaction…

"Quick! Give me your shirt!"

Woken from my thought by her words I looked up at her, not fully understanding what she said but at least attempting to deny it what ever was.

"Bu…"

"NOW!"

She cut me off; by the look in here eyes I knew not to argue. I noticed her eyes had now slid to my chest and I realised she obviously wanted me to take of my shirt, realising that she must plan to cover herself with it. Part of me was secretly thrilled at the thought of her wearing my clothes and for an instant an image of her wearing my shirt with nothing beneath danced through my mind…snapping back to the task at hand I decided rather than trying to unfasten it, especially since Asuka was pressed right against me, it would be easier to pull it over my head. I unfastened the top three buttons, careful not to allow my hands to get too close to her breasts, before pulling it upwards and over my head and handed it to her. For a moment her bare flesh had been pressed against my own, the warmth of her skin making me feel as if I were on fire. The sensation quickly faded as she pulled away from me, slipping my shirt over herself. Not a moment too soon as a shadow fell over us, she didn't seem to notice at first, the far away look in her eyes suggesting that she was too busy thinking what she was going to do to me. She was on my lap after all, effectively pinning me to the spot, stopping me from getting away. At first I tried to ignore the presence, hoping they would simply continue on without bothering us, that was until a familiar voice broke the awkward silence.

"Shinji? Asuka?"

A sinking feeling in the pit of my stomach I turned to face the new arrival, a feeling of déjà vu creeping over me.

"Dad?"

_A/N: And so In a Perfect World begins anew. I hope you like it as much as the original version, I promise this time I will finish it although as for 02 there will be a two or more week gap between chapters Oh, and on a side note someone mentioned Girlfriend of Steel 2 and the similarity to this story. To date I am unaware of an English translation of this game and until they mentioned it I knew nothing of it. Now, having been told about it and having looked at some screenshots I felt inspired once again, my only hope is that my work does not end up the same as the game, if anyone out there knows of an English version or has a translation please fell free to point me towards it so I can make sure!_

_Till next time,_

Hououza

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	2. Payback Asuka

**In a Perfect World: 2 – Payback (Asuka)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

Ever since that new girl arrived, Shinji can't take his eyes off her. I keep seeing him sneaking glances at her when he thinks no one is looking, every time it feels as if I am being stabbed in the heart. Shinji and I have known each other since we were four, although our parents told us we had met before then, we had not been properly introduced. I can still remember how Shinji had been hiding behind his mother's legs at first, my initial impression of him that he was timid and weak. I wanted little to do with him then, not realizing how wrong I was until two years later, the day that I saw the truth, the day that my father died.

Shinji and I had been pulled out of class and sent to the principal's office without being told why. Usually you were only sent there if you had been disobedient but as far as I knew neither Shinji nor I had done such a thing and as such I was a little upset at being called away in front of the whole class. I was in a less than favorable temperament when we arrived and were immediately ushered inside by his secretary who swiftly departed, leaving us alone with him.

"Sit down Mr. Ikari, Miss Soryu."

We did as we were told, making use of the two large and rather comfortable chairs set in front of his large hardwood desk. Something felt wrong about this, he didn't look like he was about to scold us, rather his face seemed troubled and when he spoke my suspicions were confirmed.

"It is my unfortunate duty to inform you that there has been an accident at your parents' workplace, an explosion occurred in the labs and a number of people were killed."

My hands gripped the arms of the chair tightly, the effect of this being two fold. One, it kept me from taking out my frustration on and inanimate objects nearby and two, it stopped me from reaching out and grabbing Shinji's hand. Glancing over at him I was surprised by how calm he seemed, not at all what I would have expected from the timid little boy I had known.

"At present we have not been informed of specifics casualties but we do know that it took place in the area your parents were working. The survivors have been taken to the hospital, we have organised for the both of you to be taken there now."

I felt as if I was in some kind of trance, as the next moments passed quickly, nothing more than a blur in my memories. The first clear recollection I have was of that terrible moment when I saw my mother sitting there, crying while aunt Yui tried to comfort her even as uncle Gendo looked on, a tormented look on his face. In that instant I knew, I would never see my father again. Tears burned my eyes, but I would not let them fall, I could not bear to let them see me cry. Suddenly I felt arms move around me, pulling me towards a warmth that reminded me of my father, of how he used to hold me, how he had hugged me goodbye that morning before I left to wake Shinji. I turned around, hoping against hope to see my father's face only to be greeted by the familiar face of Shinji. My hopes crushed I felt an irrational rage boil up inside me, not wanting him near me I shoved him away, mustering all the venom I could in my voice I told him.

"Go away idiot."

"No."

He surprised me then when he had not let go, never would I have expected him to stand up to me, let alone have the courage to do what he did next. He closed the distance between us once again, pulling me into a fierce embrace. I was so shocked I did not even think to fight against him and soon I found myself pressed firmly against his chest. It was then I let myself go, no longer holding back the grief that poisoned my heart, crying out my sorrows against his chest, watching as my tears rolled down my face and soaked into the fabric of his shirt. When at last the tears no longer came I stayed there, listening to the gentle rhythm of his heart beating, enjoying the warmth of him. I realized then that so long as I could fell that warmth beside me, so long as I could listen to the gentle rhythm of his pulse, I would never be sad because I would know I was not alone.

"Shinji?"

"Yes Asuka?"

"Promise you won't leave me."

"I promise Asuka, I'll never leave you."

I flung my arms around him then, finally returning his embrace. For a moment I was happy, the pain of my father's passing all but forgotten, if only for an instant, as I was wrapped in his arms. I reached up, and kissed him softly on the cheek, showing him how much he meant to me, something I could not do with words.

"Thank you Shinji."

In that moment, standing there with our arms around each other, Shinji with a slight blush on his face I knew then, one day I would be his wife.

Since that day Shinji has held me many times, both in congratulation and comfort. Each time I felt his familiar warmth, the soft rhythm of his heart and I would feel content, no matter what happened I knew it would be alright because I would have him beside me, always. Who would have ever believed that the shy little boy I had met all those years ago would prove to be so strong…perhaps I should have listened more closely to the stories my mother had told me of when she was a girl.

Back when she and aunt Yui were around my age, aunt Yui had had the most enormous crush on her oldest friend. They had known each other since they were small, and as they had grown older she had begun to develop feelings for him. He of course was completely oblivious to this, always complaining about how she came to wake him up in the mornings to which she had replied that if she didn't then he would never get to school on time. Mama always told aunt Yui to confess her feelings before some other girl spirited him away yet she had always replied that she wanted him to make the first move.

It continued that way right up until the point they had reached their final year of college, the night of their graduation prom. He had come to their table and spirited aunt Yui away leaving mama lost for words. She always suspected that he had liked aunt Yui, she had always seen the way he looked at her when they spoke, the unmistakable sparkle in his eyes. One or twice she had considered berating him for breaking her best friend's heart but she knew that aunt Yui would not be best pleased at her interference so she remained silent. As she watched him lead her onto the dance floor she had felt a glimmer of hope that perhaps he had finally found the courage to tell her how he felt.

He had taken her to the middle of the dance floor and spent the rest of the night with her in his arms. Then, as the last song of the evening came to a close he had sunk to one knee and asked her to marry him. My mother still laughs when she tries to describe the expression on aunt Yui's face; even now I'm not quite sure what it must have looked like. When at last she recovered slightly, although not enough to speak, she had knelt down and kissed him full on the lips, her version of a yes. No more than a week later they were married and it was at their wedding reception my mother had met my father; it had been love at first sight. Soon after, Shinji was born, and them me only three months later, and the rest, as they say, is history…

In a lot of ways Shinji takes after his father; he is just as lazy, hence why I have to wake him in the mornings. He also has that weird habit of folding his hands in front of his face. According to aunt Yui, he thinks it makes him look clever. But the rest of us, excluding Shinji, think it makes him look silly. That of course brings me to the other thing he got from his father, his glare. Uncle Gendo doesn't shout at people when he gets mad, he just glares at them. Most of the time, it shuts them up instantly. It's really impressive, except when you're on the receiving end. Now Shinji's started doing it, and it's really creeping me out. It did come in handy though when a couple of kids were picking on me about my mixed heritage, not liking the fact I'm half German half Japanese. Shinji had come over, his palm clenching and unclenching, signaling that he was angry and glared at them, saying nothing. The two turned to regard him for a moment before turning back and apologizing before departing rather quickly. Just before his expression softened as he turned to me, I caught a glimpse of his eyes as they had been and would have sworn I was looking into the eyes of some kind of monster.

The experience left me somewhat unsettled; not only had I been unable to stick up for myself, but Shinji had to save me. AND in that instant I had seen a side of him I did not like. I didn't speak to him for the rest of the day, not until late in the evening when I realized how selfish I was being and went round to apologize. He smiled at me, pulling me into a warm embrace and once again I felt my troubles drift away, the incident all but forgotten.

Of late I've started dreaming of him, the first time I woke up panting and coated in a thin layer of sweat. It had been my first sex dream, the first of many…a naked Shinji making move to me between crimson silk sheets in a great four poster bed. I still had shivers running up and down my spine for a long time afterwards and when I had gone to wake him that morning I had trouble looking him in the eyes…not that looking down was much of an improvement as a certain body part came into view, standing to attention once again.

I didn't actually smack him that particular time, so shocked by being so close to the objective of my dreams and by the stirring of desire it had caused in me, I ran. I couldn't even look at him for the rest of the day without feeling my cheeks burn…luckily for me he said nothing about it and allowed the incident to be forgotten. For the first time I was actually glad of his quiet nature, although he never acts that way in my dreams. There he is always dominant, the darker part of him showing through, taking control of our lovemaking and forcing me to submit to him…the opposite of his behavior in the real world. Whenever someone asks him to do something he almost always accepts, even if he refuses all it takes is a few seconds of puppy dog eyes and he caves. Like a few days ago, that stooge Suzahara 'asked' him to join the basketball team as they were a man short and he agreed despite the fact he never really liked sports!

Of course that's not to say I disagree with this particular development, all the training that stooge has been putting him through has had a definite impact on his physique…his muscles are starting to become more defined, although he will never be an Adonis, he is certainly taking on a more solid shape. These of course had not been lost on the other girls in class and I have noticed more than a few eyeing him up openly during sports class. So far that's as far as it has gone, the constant rumors about us being in some kind of relationship has kept them away although since the arrival of the new girl people are starting to have their doubts. Till now it suited me just fine to deny it, all it did was encourage them to think it really was true, why would I deny it so loudly otherwise. Now my denials have all but stopped, not that many people ask me anymore.

I refuse to lose him to some girl he only met a week ago, I won't give up without a fight. I am worried a little bit about Shinji though, I'm not sure if he likes me in that way. Not once have I caught him staring at my breasts, not even when we are at the beach and I was wearing a bikini…although he had walked in on me when I was getting changed earlier that day and I had kinda gotten mad at him. I promised that I would get even later on, and after that he kept on avoiding me. It was getting so frustrating by the end of the weekend I very nearly snuck into his room and jumped him, I only didn't in the end because his screaming would have woken his parents sleeping in the next room.

I've promised myself that next time that happens I will have my revenge, something involving handcuffs and him being naked. Right now I'm having one such dream, Shinji has me pinned on the bed and lavishing his attention on my naked body. Something feels a little wrong here, my body feels cold, as if a draft is rushing over my body. My subconscious is telling me that my covers must have fallen off and still asleep I reached out blindly and when I felt fabric I gripped it and pulled. Something warm and heavy fell on top of me and as my mind registered this fact it nudged me into wakefulness and as my eyes opened I found myself staring into the familiar cerulean orbs of Shinji. Of course in my half awake sleep I simply assumed that this was still a part of my dream, mostly because we still seemed to be in the positions from before, although he was now more fully clothed…that I decided to fix and immediately began unbuttoning his shirt.

The look in his eyes confused me, even more when he suddenly stood up and ran from the room. It slowly began to dawn upon me that perhaps this was no longer a dream, that it might in fact be reality…

"SHINJI!"

I took off after him, paying no mind to my state of undress. Unanswered questions swirled through my mind as I pondered how it was he had ended up there, lying on top of me…I guess that the fabric I had caught of must have been his shirt rather than the bed sheets but that still did not explain what he had been doing there, looking at my half naked body. I wanted some answers out of him and this time I was going to get them, one way or another…

I caught up to him out in the corridor, tackling him from behind. He spun as he fell making me fall on top of him and as I sat up I could plainly see his eyes had move downwards and were staring intently at my bare breasts…

YES!

In my head I silently celebrated, the lust in his eyes assuaged my fears; there could be no doubt that he was attracted to me physically. In light of this fact it now dawned on me that I was currently half naked in the middle of the corridor.

"Quick! Give me your shirt!"

"Bu…"

"NOW!"

Talking could wait until we were back at my apartment…specifically in my bedroom. He pulled it over his head having unfastened the top three buttons and pulled it over his head. For the briefest of moments, his bare chest was pressed against my own for an instant before he pulled away and I donned his shirt. My modesty restored, I was about to lead him back to the apartment when I felt something press up against my inner thigh, something that could no longer simply be explained by the fact it was morning. I hardly noticed the shadow that fell across us until it spoke, breaking the silence.

"Shinji? Asuka?"

Knowing that voice I was hit by a sinking feeling, believing all my plans were about to come undone even as Shinji spoke.

"Dad?"

_AN: I've read some of the GFOS manga now and to tell the truth anyone who wants to see the Eva's play a part in it stop now. The key thing I intent not to follow is that I wish the Eva's to play no part in this story however, that said I have been influenced by it and those of you that have read it may well see scenes adapted from or inspired by it. Rei will most likely enter the story in the few next chapters with Kaworu a little later._

_Thank you all for your reviews not to mention the help in finding the manga._

_Till next time,_

Hououza 

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	3. Aftermath Shinji

In a Perfect World: 3 – Aftermath (Shinji) 

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

"Dad?"

I think if I were to draw up a list of the worst people to see me when I had a half naked girl who happens to be the daughter of my mother's best friend sitting in my lap while I am also half naked in the middle of a corridor, my father would be top of the list. This is not because he is about to go off on some kind of tirade telling me how irresponsible I have been. No, it's something far far worse…

"Shinji! I'm so proud of you son! I only wish I had a camera with me to record this stage in your development!"

Moreover, of course he has started crying again, much to my shame this is how he always reacts. Who would have believed the man voted by his class most likely to become a cold hearted evil bastard hell bent on taking over the world would be standing in the middle of a corridor crying about the fact his son has a girlfriend, not Asuka certainly. She is currently looking at my dad with a look of utter disbelief on her face, luckily this is of course serving to distract her attention from me meaning that I have a chance to escape…right up until I noticed that Asuka has conveniently wrapped her arms around me once again, foiling my plans for escape.

Well basing on the fact I have absolutely no chance of getting away from here any time in the near future, I simply resigned myself to my fate. That was until I realised something, something that might at least spare me any further embarrassment, at least as far as my father was concerned.

"Um, Dad?"

He stopped crying for a moment and turned to look at me, his expression flicking back to his usual impassive one.

"Yes son?"

"Shouldn't you be helping mom?"

For a moment, he stood there immobile as my words sank in. Slowly, a look of absolute and total horror spread across his face as the full implications of what I was saying hit home…

"Oh crap."

"GENDO NO BAKA!"

From the shout evidently, mom had gotten tired of waiting for him and was no doubt that in a few moments she would be here in person to visibly demonstrate her displeasure. Of course both my father and I knew all too well what would happen if she found us here like this and without a doubt knew it would not be pleasant. Dad reacted instantly, making a beeline for the stairs. Just as he was about to disappear from my line of sight, he stuck his head round the corner and called out to me.

"Oh and Shinji, make sure you use some protection. Your mother and I aren't ready to be grandparents just yet."

With that final parting comment, one that left me blushing a shade of red similar to Asuka's hair, he disappeared down the stairs to face mom's wrath while I stayed to face Asuka's…speaking of Asuka it has been awfully quiet.

"Ugh."

I suddenly found myself being dragged backwards in what appeared to be the direction of Asuka's apartment. Not exactly pleased about being half pulled half dragged along the corridor I opened my mouth to protest when we stopped suddenly and a pair of lips closed over my mouth, effectively cutting me off. By the time Asuka finally pulled away from me, my brain was wrapped in a rather pleasant pink fog, leaving utterly incapable of rational thought. Surrendering myself to the nonsensical gibberish that followed I raised no further objections as I was dragged inside her apartment and the door was closed.

The dragging almost immediately resumed and despite it's present state my mind managed to provide the me with the fact that we were going in the direction of Asuka's bedroom, a fact that a different part of my anatomy found quite appealing, especially considering the last time I was there. The feel of her almost naked body pressing against me was still fresh in my mind, something had I been in a more coherent state, I would have though to steer clear of if only because of the reaction such thoughts would cause.

I was unceremoniously dumped onto her bed while she returned to the door, closed it, and locked it before placing the key somewhere out of my reach. Then Asuka walked over to me, straddled my hips, and waited. It was around then that my brain decided it had enough of a rest and decided to start working again only to find the situation had changed significantly since it was last there. I was now in Asuka's bedroom, lying half naked on her bed with a very much half naked Asuka sitting on top of me. I waited patiently for a thought to form, wanting to see what my brain had to say about our present situation.

I liked it better without the shirt. 

Well, so much for that idea…not knowing what to do I simply waited for Asuka to do something, most likely make a physical expression of her displeasure. At least it could not get any worse…

Unfortunately, as is often the case in my life I was wrong. A certain part of my anatomy was making it's presence known, something that would not be good for my continued well being if Asuka found out. My brain, once again trying to be helpful, decided to make it's own comment on the situation.

_Well, at least you'll die happy._

_Shut up!_

My self-preservation instincts flared into life activating my penultimate turn off technique, one I had developed for just such a situation.

Father in a tutu! Father in a tutu! Father in a tutu! 

This image immediately cooled my blood somewhat and caused the problem to begin to fade. I was a little confused as to why this time the Gendo ballerina was dancing atop a giant purple mecha but for the time being I simply passed it off as a result of eating too much pocky before bed. Thankfully, it seemed that Asuka had not noticed my predicament as she continued to stare at me, remaining silent.

After what seemed like an eternity of sitting in silence, I finally decided to ask the question that had been on my mind for a while now. Never once bothering to consider that I wouldn't like the answer.

"Asuka, why did you lock the door?"

She smiled at me, the sort of smile a predator gives to a small fluffy animal just before it tears it apart.

"That's to make sure you don't try running away again."

"Oh."

She leaned down against me, my shirt hanging down slightly so that I could see down the collar, getting a good view of the top of her breasts. Of course compared to the view I had already had twice to day, it was not much but still the sight of them still set the flames of desire burning within me. This of course left me a little distracted so I almost didn't hear what she said next.

"Now, why don't you tell me what you were doing in my room so early?"

Her voice was so different from usual; it held seductive undertones, ones that sent little shivers running down my spine.

"I…um…er…"

Once again, I felt blood heading south and so once again my ballerina father made his rounds. Unfortunately, while I waited for my condition to ease Asuka was getting impatient.

"Well Shinji? I'm waiting…"

The seductive tone continued to be applied liberally, as she leaned right up against me her breasts pressed up against me once again. In truth had I not known better I would have actually believed she was really coming onto me but basing on the fact she had teased me like this in the past I simply assumed it was just another one of those times. She always used her 'feminine wiles' on me when she wanted her own way, that or threatened to pummel me if I didn't do what I was told. Of the two the former was generally the more effective, I never was able to say no to a girl. Anyway, we've been friends since we were little, why in the hell would she want to seduce me of all people?

Not that I would mind if she did…what? 

Where in hell did that thought come from? I don't know what the hell is wrong with me at the moment; I've never acted this way around Asuka before, so why now? Taking a deep breath, and using the distraction to calm my already frayed nerves. I started to speak; unfortunately, it all came out in one long stream of babble.

"I came to wake you up like you did me but it kind of back fired because you were naked and you grabbed me and I got scared so I ran and you followed and we ended up in the hall when you tackled me and I never got to ask you to come and have breakfast with me because my dad was there."

She stopped for a moment, her eyes going distant as if she were replaying my words in her head, trying to work out what I said. When at last they came back into focus the wicked smile returned and I was shocked when she kissed me for the second time that day. Thinking about it, this is the third time in my life I've ever been kissed by a girl, funnily enough, all of which have been Asuka…

It happened one rainy day almost two years ago. It was a Sunday, and our parents had been called into work leaving the two of us alone, stuck indoors. I had decided to practice my cello for a while, giving Asuka an impromptu concert before she joined in with her violin. When we finally finished, we put our instruments away and slumped down in front of the television watching some romantic comedy that happened to be on. This lasted for at least a couple of hours at the end of it we were sat side by side on the couch. It was still raining and our parents were yet to return. Thinking that we still hadn't eaten and it was almost one, it might be a good idea to make us some lunch when suddenly Asuka spoke up.

"Shinji, have you ever kissed anyone?"

Her question caught me a little of guard, I shouldn't have been surprised since the movie had ended with the hero and heroine kissing romantically. Even so, it was a little disconcerting, talking to Asuka about something like this.

"No Asuka, you know that."

I thought that would be the end of it and was about to head for the kitchen when she suddenly spoke out again.

"Would you like to?"

Once more, I was surprised by her question; I was forced to think for a moment before answering.

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it before. Probably someday, yes."

Once again, I tried to leave but again Asuka spoke out.

"Would you like to kiss me?"

I froze. I had to stop for a moment and pinch myself to confirm to myself that I wasn't dreaming. Never would I have expected something like that to come out of her mouth, as I turned round to face her I was convinced it must be a joke…the look in her eyes told me it wasn't.

"Asuka I…"

In truth, I did not know how to respond…part of me was excited by the idea, the chance to see what it felt like to kiss a girl yet without the normal risks involved. This was Asuka after all, my childhood friend not some girl I was taking out on a date. At the same time, that same line of reasoning was being used as a defence, indicating that if I did kiss her then would things between us ever be the same afterwards. It seemed silly to risk a long-term friendship over such a simple thing…as it was, Asuka made up my mind for me as she stood up and closed the distance between us before kissing me firmly on the lips.

For a moment, I was too stunned to react, simply standing there rigid as her lips moved against my own. When she did not pull away, I gingerly began to return it, meeting her halfway. The contact kept sending little shocks up my spine; my body reacting to her closeness making me feel a little uncomfortable. Feelings I was unused to at the time rose to the surface, filling me with a sense of need I could not place. In the end it was she who pulled away first, giving me a small smile before disappearing off into the kitchen.

We didn't speak about it after that and I pretty much forgot about it. I know that most people say that the first kiss is the most important but I'm not so sure, shouldn't every kiss be important, so long as you meant it?

I finally snapped back to the present as she pulled away, regarding me with those same eyes, dancing with amusement. She smiled at me before leaning over and whispering her reply in my ear.

"Of course I'll go to breakfast with you Shinji, wait a moment while I get changed."

She quickly lifted herself off me before half pulling, half dragging me from the bed and pushing me none to gently out of the room. Having been out with Asuka a number of times in the past and well aware of just how long it would take her to get ready I settled my self in the living room, making myself as comfortable as possible when sitting half naked in the living room of your friend's mother's apartment. At least there was little chance of them coming back and finding me like this, I wasn't quite calm enough to handle being grilled again just yet.

Letting my mind wonder, my thoughts drifted to the place I was planning to take her, a small café in the shopping district. I spotted it when I was on the way home from practice last weekend; it caught my attention because it said on the windows that they served western style food. Knowing that Asuka absolutely adored western cuisine since her mother was born in Germany and often cooked traditional German dishes for her, it had seemed the perfect place to take her. I even checked the prices beforehand making sure that I could afford it, I was actually rather pleased to find the prices were very reasonable, well within what I could afford.

I was caught off guard when my shirt hit me in the face, peeling it off I looked in the direction it had come from only to wish I hadn't. Asuka was standing there clad in nothing but a towel; her long read hair wrapped up in a second. She was grinning at me wickedly and at once, I felt heat pooling in my loins, ballerina Gendo once again making his rounds. I swear, after this I'll never be able to look at my father the same way again. She disappeared from sight once again, leaving me to pull on my shirt. By the time I had fastened the buttons she had re-emerged, wearing a very familiar pale yellow sundress.

Feeling uncomfortable, now more than ever, I stood up, allowing her to take my arm as I led her to the front door. She let go of my arm to put on her shoes, catching it once again as soon as we were outside. Knowing I wasn't going to get away, I resigned myself to my fate, leading her down the hallway to the elevator, not trusting the stairs lest we happen to run into our parents and I receive the grilling I knew all to well I would receive when they came home tonight. I only hope my dad doesn't exaggerate too much, lest I suddenly find myself coming back to what our western history teacher would have called a 'shotgun wedding'.

The journey down went without further incident and when we emerged on the ground floor, we found much to my relief that our parents had already left. Walking into town Asuka kept her hold on my arm, even going so far as to rest her head on my shoulder. I could already feel my cheeks heating up again, silently praying that no-one we knew saw us because we almost certainly looked like a couple. That much was evident from the mixed reactions we got from the people we passed, the older ones gave us looks of disapproval while a lot of the younger ones looked on with envy, in particular the couple, the girls tugging on their boyfriends arms and asking why they didn't hold them like that.

Thankfully, we made it to the café without encountering anyone we knew at which point Asuka finally let go of my arm. I was about to breathe sigh of relief when she glomped me suddenly, she had just finished reading the sign.

_Okita's café. We specialise in all kinds of western style food._

Once I finally managed to pry her off me she took my arm and pulled me inside, asking the waitress for a table for two. She seated us in a booth near the window before handing us two menus and taking or order for drinks. Asuka ordered two cokes and the woman left us to get us our drinks and give us time to work out what we wanted. It was now that I encountered a problem…I had no idea what to order. Apart from the time Asuka's mother has cooked something for me I have no experience of western cooking. Working my way through the various dishes on the menu my eyes settles on one I recognised and I made my decision. It was fortunate that I did because at that moment the waitress arrived with our drinks.

"Are you ready to order?"

Asuka glanced at me silently asking if I was ready, I nodded in response, and she placed her order. Then, the moment came for me to place mine and I pointed to the picture on the menu.

"I'll have the pancakes please."

"Full stack or half sir?"

By now, I was feeling rather hungry and so decided to take the plunge.

"Full stack please."

"Thank you, that will be a few minutes."

When the food arrived, I was shocked when a plate at least half as high as the table was placed in front of me. I was about to reach out for one when the waitress reappeared with a bottle containing a strange golden liquid.

"Maple syrup, for the pancakes."

I took it, nodding my thanks, regarding the bottle for a moment. Feeling a little uncertain I flipped open the cap and poured a little bit on one pancake before biting into it. I was pleasantly surprised by the sweet taste and immediately preceded to empty the contents across the rest of my pancakes before tucking in. It wasn't long before the plate before me was empty and Asuka was looking at me with an expression of mild surprise.

"I wonder if all his appetites are like that…"

I almost did a double take when I heard that, I couldn't believe Asuka had said something like that. For a moment, I considered asking her about it but from the look on her face I began to suspect she hadn't realised she said it out loud. Deciding that discretion was the better part of valour I kept my mouth shut, silently pondering what that comment could have meant. A moment later Asuka excused herself to go to the bathroom while I asked for the bill. The waitress brought it over our table with a smile and I was pulling out my wallet to pay when I felt a hand on my shoulder. Overcome by a sudden feeling of dread I looked up only to find the last person I had expected standing over me, a huge grin plastered across their face.

"Hello Shin-man."

"Toji?"

_AN: Well, I tried doing a third person chapter but it just felt wrong so it ended up like this instead, another first person in Shinji's POV. Expect the next one to be Asuka's POV again, I know it makes it advance more slowly but this time I will try and add a little more variation between them._

_Thank you all for your reviews not to mention the help in finding the manga. Anyone know where I can get more of volume 4?_

_Till next time,_

_Hououza_

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	4. Aftermath Asuka

**In a Perfect World: 4 – Aftermath (Asuka)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

"Dad?"

The next few moments were perhaps the strangest I have experienced in my whole life. What should have happened was that uncle Gendo chewed the both of us out for being out in public like this and for the fact that it looked for all intents and purposes that we had sex, something that while we were old enough to be doing legally, certainly would not be approved of. Instead he proceeded to congratulate Shinji and burst into tears.

"Shinji! I'm so proud of you son! I only wish I had a camera with me to record this stage in your development!"

Now, if I weren't entirely sure that I was currently awake, I would have been certain that I was still dreaming at this point. This is the man who stood up in front of the principal and stared him down after they called in our parents after Shinji protected me that one time. The other boy's parents had complained and they had been called in to discuss the matter, when uncle Gendo had heard what had happened he had gone white with rage, his hands moving in a similar fashion to Shinji's. The next few moments were enough to convince me never to get on Shinji's bad side, that was if his father was anything to go by.

When we walked out of there, the principal was almost on the verge of crying, apologising constantly for his mistake. After that the boys hadn't bothered me again, no doubt their parents had been rather displeased at being lied to. It's really strange to think that the same person who did that could be standing here now, crying so openly. If I hadn't known better I would have believed that it was a different person entirely…dragging my thoughts back to the present situation I finally remembered our situation, carefully manoeuvring my arms around Shinji. This would mean that he couldn't run away again, I was rewarded when he tried to shift slightly before discovering my hold. He stopped struggling almost immediately, knowing he couldn't get away, resigning himself to his fate.

Of course, this now left me with the problem of getting his dada out of there so I could take him back to the apartment, the major problem was how to do it…just as it seemed I was out of ideas Shinji suddenly spoke up, saving me the trouble.

"Um, Dad?"

"Yes son."

His dad stopped crying for a moment to see what he wanted. In truth I was listening intently as well, having no clue what Shinji was going to say to him.

"Shouldn't you be helping mom?"

"Oh crap."

At once the look on his father's face changed from one of interest to one of horror. I really wished I had a camera on me then because I don't think I will ever get to see uncle Gendo with such a look of wide eyed look of panic on his face. About a second later we heard a shout from below that was unmistakably aunt Yui.

"GENDO NO BAKA!"

He immediately ran for the stairs, stopping only briefly to call out something to Shinji.

"Oh and Shinji, make sure you use some protection. Your mother and I aren't ready to be grandparents just yet."

That, of course, left Shinji blushing severely, something I swore to myself, I have got to cure him of. I can just imagine being in bed with him, in the middle of our lovemaking with him blushing away…no! Not the time to be daydreaming right now, my immediate priority is to get Shinji back to my apartment; from there we can continue in privacy without anyone else interrupting me.

Wasting no time, I quickly released my hold on Shinji, pushing myself to my feet before taking hold of him and hauling him to his and half pulling, half dragging him along behind me. I have every intention of getting some answers out of him as to why he was on top of my almost naked body first thing in the morning and they best be very very good ones. Of course, that isn't to say I don't intent to have some fun with him as well, he interrupted my dream and so he's going to have to make it up to me before I let him off this time.

Unfortunately, he had to try and fight against me, digging in his heels and slowing our progress to a crawl. I stopped for a moment, moving so he was facing me. He was about to open his mouth most likely to protest and my treatment of him when I pressed my lips over his, silencing him completely. The contact lasted only for a few brief moments; I stopped as soon as his eyes started to glaze. Part of me wanted to continue but was quickly silenced by the rest of my brain, reminding it that we could do far more once we were in the privacy of my bedroom. Once again I resumed my journey, Shinji putting up no further resistance to me.

As we reached the apartment and moved inside I allowed my body to act on autopilot, navigating to my room. My thoughts were elsewhere, drifting back to the first time I had kissed Shinji, the first and only time I have ever been kissed by a boy.

It was two years ago now, on a rainy Sunday. Our parents had been called into work to handle a minor emergency and the two of us had been left alone in his apartment. Shinji had taken out his cello and began playing, at first I had been content to listen to the soothing melody he played until I started to feel restless and pulled out my violin. We played a duet then, a piece we had played together many time, once in a school recital. For those few moments the world disappeared, no longer did I hear the rain outside or the faint noises made by the neighbours, all I could hear was the sound our two instruments, and the beautiful harmony we made.

When the piece came to an end, I sat there silently for a moment, pondering how right it had felt, playing in harmony. I pondered whether I should suggest another piece but Shinji had already begun to put his cello away, so I decide against it. Once both instruments were back in their cases, we ended up settling in front of the TV, flicking the channels until we came across a movie that was just staring. It happened to be one I had wanted to see for ages, I gave him the puppy dog eyes and he agreed and so we sat watching the movie together.

About halfway through, I had allowed my head to fall sideways and rest upon his shoulder. I felt him tense slightly at the contact before relaxing slowly. Glad he had not pushed me away, I moved slightly closer to him, enjoying his warmth as I continued to watch the movie. When it finally came to an end, the last scene showing the hero and heroine kissing passionately, it planted the thought in my mind, what would it be like to kiss Shinji? He had started to get up when much to my own surprise I gave voice to the thoughts swirling inside my mind.

"Shinji, have you ever kissed anyone?"

He of course started blushing; I could already see the first signs of panic in his eyes. I admit I already knew the answer; it was more about seeing how he reacted to me asking him.

"No Asuka, you know that."

He started to turn away; obviously thinking the conversation was over even though I wasn't quite ready to give in.

"Would you like to?"

Once again the surprise was clearly evident on his face as his expression turned thoughtful.

"I don't know, I've never really thought about it before. Probably someday, yes."

Once again he tried to flee but was again halted by my question.

"Would you like to kiss me?"

He froze, for a moment he said nothing, turning a questioning gaze upon me, seeking confirmation of what he had heard. I met his gaze with mine, showing him I had meant what I had said, not wanting to back down.

"Asuka I…"

Fear gripped my heart then, for some reason my chest tightened at the thought that he might refuse. I couldn't have taken it if he did, not wanting to take the chance I stood up, pressing my lips firmly against his…

The next few moments are ones I cannot describe, the feel and the taste of him consumed me, I didn't even notice when he started to kiss me back. In the end I had to pull away, afraid that if I did not then I would not have been able to stop myself, the need that had awakened within me had been so strong; it would not have ended with just a kiss. I fought down the sense of longing within me, forcing a smile as he regarded me, fleeing to the safety of the kitchen at the first opportunity. He didn't follow at first, something I was grateful for because if he had I would have probably pushed him to the floor and continued.

By the time he did enter I had calmed down considerably; enough to sit silently while I watched him prepared some food for us both. When he at last he sat down opposite me we didn't speak about it and after that it was almost forgotten.

I snapped back to reality just as I pulled him the rest of the way into my bedroom before pushing him onto my bed. He landed with a slight 'oof', satisfied he was dealt with for the moment I turned my attention to my bedroom door, locking it securely and placing the key in my underwear draw. That at least would prevent him from going after it, meaning he would not escape me like before, the only way he was getting out of here was if I let him. I strode over to where he lay, taking note of the fact his eyes had come back into focus and he looked more coherent. Smirking slightly, I lowered myself down onto him, straddling his waist. This meant that he could not run from me, the weight of my body pinning him down. Now, the time had come to have some fun with him, to pay him back for earlier this morning.

I was startled slightly when I felt something pressing up against my thigh once again; I was both pleased and frustrated by this particular development. On one hand I was pleased that even dressed in his shirt I still turned him on, the downside was there was little I could do to relieve my own sexual frustrations…yet. Before I could take that thought any further he spoke up, derailing my thoughts.

"Asuka, why did you lock the door?"

I allowed a predatory grin to spread across my face then, thinking of numerous ways I could reply. In the end I settled on something suggestive but not outright blatant, no sense in giving the game away so soon.

"That's to make sure you don't try running away again."

"Oh."

His reply was far from enthusiastic, something that only served to frustrate me further. How could he possibly continue to act as If nothing were wrong when I could plainly feel his arousal pressing against me? Even if it was fading slightly it still proved that he was enjoying my presence atop his waist, why couldn't he actually show it in some other ways. Angry, wanting him to show me how he felt, to see the lust pooling in his eyes I went further, leaning down against him, purposefully allowing the shirt to hang of me, giving him a clear view of my breasts.

His eyes of course were drawn to them and for an instant I could see what I had wanted all a long, a tiny flicker of desire burning more brightly than before. Ever so slowly, I was weakening his resolve, soon he would finally admit he wanted me and then finally I would alleviate my frustration by acting out my dream. Now I needed to stall for time, to give him time to let his mental defences fall. Still hungering to know why exactly he had been here in the first place I hauled the conversation back to my original question.

"Now, why don't you tell me what you were doing in my room so early?"

I used every possible hint of seduction I could, relishing the look upon his face as it took effect. His blood was firing once again as I saw the flames of lust rising in his eyes even as the 'other' sign continued to rise as well.

"I…um…er…"

Again I could feel him holding himself back, pulling away from his need for me. Even as I felt his arousal fade I was constantly wondering why, why he would not simply admit to me that he wanted me there and then. Anger surfaced once again as I grew impatient, I snapped at him.

"Well Shinji? I'm waiting…"

"I came to wake you up like you did me but it kind of back fired because you were naked and you grabbed me and I got scared so I ran and you followed and we ended up in the hall when you tackled me and I never got to ask you to come and have breakfast with me because my dad was there."

I was forced to pause for a moment, replaying his words in my head, slowing them down so I could make sense of the stream of babble. Slowly, as the meaning became clear I felt my heart leaping, even if it was not quite what I had wanted it was a beginning, something which could grow into more…after all, our parents won't be back until late. There will still be plenty of time left after we eat to enjoy ourselves and perhaps he will be more amenable on a full stomach. Acting on impulse I kissed him again, enjoying the way his eyes glassed over once more.

I waited for a moment, unable to stop myself from smiling at his expression, wanting his eyes to come back into focus before I replied. He snapped back to reality and I leant forwards, putting my lips just beside his ear.

"Of course I'll go to breakfast with you Shinji, wait a moment while I get changed."

I pushed myself off him then, enjoying how his eyes followed my every move. I removed the key from my underwear drawer and unlocked the door before pulling him up from the bed and pushing him outside. I watched carefully from behind a partly open door, waiting until he had moved off into the living room to exit my bedroom and head to the bathroom to take a quick shower.

Once I finished my shower and returned to my room, stopping briefly on the way to return Shinji's shirt to him, well more like hurl it at him. I was none too pleased when he didn't immediately react to me standing in the doorway in nothing but a couple of towels. When he did recover finally he reacted exactly as I hoped he would, his face colouring slightly. It's fun teasing him like this, even if it isn't really what I want.

Leaving him alone too redress I returned to my room. Crossing to my wardrobe, I pulled out my favourite yellow sundress. The last time I wore this dress, the weekend we had gone to the beach, while we went on a short boat trip on Saturday evening, the wind had caught it and send the edge billowing up, giving Shinji and excellent second viewing of my panties. Once again I had chased him, pursuing him all across the boat. I never caught him; in the end he used our parents as a shield.

I didn't get anytime alone with him on the Sunday, and by the time we got home I was too tired to try anything. After that it was mostly forgotten for a while as my attention was pulled back to the assignments we were given. Sighing slightly at the memory, I finished pulling on my dress, and reached round to fasten it properly. I spend a few moments brushing my hair, setting it in place with my favourite red hair clips. Satisfied with my appearance, I returned to the living room to retrieve Shinji.

He paused for a moment when he saw me, whether it was because of the memories most likely stirred by the dress or because I looked good I did not know, nor was I willing to ask. I at once took his arm, leading him into the hallway and releasing him only to put on my shoes. I kept his arm as we walked to the elevator, stepping in beside him as he pushed the button for the ground floor. Part of me secretly hoped that our parents might not have left yet, mama always said that Shinji and I would make a nice couple and I know that if she saw us together, coupled with what uncle Gendo saw this morning she and aunt Yui will be planning our wedding before the year was out.

Much to my disappointment they had already left, that simply means I'll have to wait until tonight to see what uncle Gendo had told them. Sighing once again, I allowed Shinji to lead me away from the apartment building and into the town. After a while I allowed my head to flop onto his shoulder, the humidity was as smothering as ever, making it unpleasant to walk anything more than a short distance. As we went, I noticed a number of people looking at us, a few with disapproval while others looked on with envy.

When at last we came to a halt, I took my head from his shoulder, turning my attention to the place he had brought me and looking at it clearly for the first time.

_Okita's café. We specialise in all kinds of western style food._

I threw my arms around him, glomping him violently. I could hardly believe he had remembered how much I loved western food, it had been a long time since my mother had made any, not since my father died…it made me happy that he had remembered such a simple thing, one that had once been so important to me. I led him inside eagerly, asking for a table for two. The waitress gave is a bright smile, giving us a booth by the window. I ordered cokes for us both before turning my attention to the menu. When the waitress returned with our drinks and asked if we were ready to order I glanced at Shinji and he conformed with a nod.

I placed my order, waiting for Shinji, listening intently to what he ordered.

"I'll have the pancakes please."

"Full stack or half sir?"

"Full stack please."

"Thank you, that will be a few minutes."

I was a little surprised, I had a good idea of how big a full stack might be and would never have expected Shinji to be able to eat quite that much. When it arrived my suspicions were confirmed, I had to stifle a laugh at the look of silent horror on his face. It quickly changed as he took a tentative first bite, his speed increasing after the waitress offered him a bottle of maple syrup. I was shocked to find that by the time I had finished, his plate was also clean, the ferocity he had demonstrated in his eating left a question in my mind.

"I wonder if all his appetites are like that…"

For one horrible moment, I realised that I had just spoken out loud. Schooling my features to betray none of the panic I was feeling inside, silently praying Shinji had not heard me; I excused myself and headed to the bathroom, needing to clear my head. When I arrived I stepped up to a washbasin, turning on the cold water and cupping my hands beneath it before splashing against my face. Feeling calmer I was about to leave when I a familiar voice called out to me.

"Asuka?"

Hikari 

_AN: The audit is finally over! And with it one pressure is gone only to be replaced by a horde of new ones…time is limited right now and so the updates will be erratic and probably drawn out. Please be patient, I will try and update as often as I can._

_Expect the entry of Rei next chapter as I plan to write that one in her POV._

_In response to Seph6, I have read 'The Garden of Eva' and no, I don't have any intention of going that way. It was funny but I don't want to turn this world into another extension of third impact. Without out saying too much I plan to keep this as a distinct reality._

_On a side note, Forgotten just hit chapter 3 but at the same time my faith in the direction I was heading has been a little shaken and it may or may not receive a re-write._

_Thank you all for your patience and sticking with me despite the delays._

_  
Hououza_

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	5. Rei

**In a Perfect World: 5 – (Rei)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

It's the weekend at last. Finally, I'm free of morally lax teachers, insane red heads, and perverts who keep trying to look up my skirt…well, only one pervert and admittedly he only did it once, when he ran into me…but still, after the tongue lashing his 'girlfriend' gave me I have no plans to forget about it anytime soon. She accused me of showing him my panties, on purpose, in front of the whole class and then she gets all defensive when I start talking about her 'boyfriend', only she claims he's just her childhood friend…yeah right! I saw how she kept looking at him, the way a predator looks at its prey. The worst part was that he seemed to be totally oblivious to her frustration; I just wish she would drag him to the nearest closet and get it over with to give the rest of us some peace!

I stepped into the bathroom, taking a brief shower to wake myself up before returning to my room to get dressed. Satisfied with my appearance I departed my room once again, this time heading in the direction of the kitchen, wholly intent on making myself some breakfast. On entering the room I was surprised to find Kaworu already sitting there, nibbling on a piece of toast and reading a magazine. She looked up when I entered, greeting me with a cheery smile.

"Hi sis! So, how was your first week in Tokyo-3?"

I stood there for a moment, all the events of the past six days replaying in my head before I at last found my voice.

"How was my week? I can't believe the week I've had, the first day of my new school and I'm almost late because of some pervert running into me, causing me to lose my breakfast, before staring at my panties. Then, when I finally make it to class, I find that I'm in the same class as him just before his 'girlfriend' starts a fight with me, accusing me of stealing her man who she incidentally claims is nothing more than a friend whenever anyone comments on their relationship. All the while our teacher, Ms. Katsuragi, sat at her desk cheering us on! If it hadn't been for the class rep stepping in there's no telling what would have happened…and on top of that I've got a huge pile of assignments to do make up for the work I've missed. Hey! Kaworu! Are you even listening to me?"

"Yeah yeah sis, I heard you. So, this 'pervert', is he good looking?"

I stood there for a moment in shock; unable to believe Kaworu had asked such a question. When I finally found my voice I managed to stammer out a single word.

"What?"

"Well, if a boy is going to be staring at my underwear I at least expect him to be reasonably attractive. Don't you think so Rei?"

"Kaworu…"

"Well? Was he cute or not?"

"Fine! He's was fairly cute! Ok? Happy now?"

"Yes. Very."

She replied with that blasted Cheshire cat grin of hers before getting up from the table and wandering off in the direction of her bedroom, most likely to get dressed. I swear, sometimes I really want to pummel her, despite the fact she is my twin sister. She is far too boy crazy, had she been there I'll bet she would have probably asked him if he wanted to see her panties as well, that would of course set off his demonic not-girlfriend and started an even bigger fight…I dread to think of what that bitch is going to do when she finally starts class next Monday. I toyed with the idea of calling in sick, but then again if I did that then I might miss out on the look on demon girl's face when Kaworu starts coming onto her 'childhood friend'.

"Rei?"

I looked up to see Kaworu standing there, now fully dressed; her face only inches from my own. Red met red as we regarded one another for a moment, giving me time to take note of the inquisitive look in her eyes. I cursed under my breath, knowing by now never to space out with my sister around because she had the freakish habit of knowing just what it is I'm thinking about and then bugging me about it…she's been doing it ever since we were little. When we were about five years old I had a crush on this boy, he was the son of our parents friends. I started spacing out and Kaworu called me on it, teasing me about liking him…the odd thing is I can't remember what he looked like or even his name…Kaworu waving a hand in front of my face brought me back to the present once again.

"What is it Kaworu?"

"You were thinking about 'him', weren't you?"

She was right, as always, the thing was which 'him' did she mean? My childhood crush or the pervert? Somehow I suspect she means the latter…

"Kaworu…"

"Oh come on Rei, lighten up. It's the weekend, lets go shopping, and I could do with a new outfit…"

She paused, taking a moment to regard what I was currently wearing.

"…And so do you."

She finished, leading me out the door. I know better than to argue with Kaworu when she's like this. It's best to just to grit your teeth and go along with it rather than argue with her and then end up doing it anyway. She led me down the hall to the front door, releasing her hold long enough for me to put on my shoes before pulling me out the front door and down the corridor. Around the time we made it halfway to the stairs there was a shout from the floor above before that sounded remarkably like a boy's name, followed a moment later by sounds of a collision and arguing. Shaking my head at the stupid antics of our neighbours I followed Kaworu down the stairs, barely having time to dodge as a man dashed down them so fast he was almost a blur. We finally made it down to the ground floor in tact and started out toward the city proper. As ever, Kaworu insisted on getting to the shops early, before the rush began and all the best bargains were gone.

We spent almost an hour, exploring various shops throughout the shopping district, carrying around an ever-increasing armful of bags. Despite much reluctance on my part I did pick out a few new outfits, although they were a lot more conservative than the ones Kaworu was pointing out. I don't want to dress like her, that caused me more than enough trouble in the past, when her so-called boyfriends came asking me why 'I' had broken up with them. I finally got fed up with it a couple of years back and decided to do something about it. I had my hair cut short before attempting to dye it. Unfortunately I had a bad reaction to the particular dye I used and it caused my hair to turn bright blue. At first the doctors said it would grow out but now, two years later, it's still like this so I guess it's permanent. At least all my hair didn't turn that colour…all the other hair on my body remains my natural grey.

Of course, that in itself isn't exactly normal; thanks to a genetic quirk both Kaworu and I were born with silver grey hair and red eyes, but without the overly pale skin usually associated with albinos. According to the doctors the chances of something like that is around one in a million or so, even more if you consider the fact that Kaworu and I are identical twins…the strangest part is that both our parents were normal and neither one had a history of albino children in their families. Mom always said it meant we were special but I never believed it…not even after she died. We were only six at the time, they were killed in an accident at work, after that we moved to live with her our uncle Sachiel and his wife Ariel over in Tokyo-2.

My memories of those first few years are fuzzy at best; I can just about recall the faces of some other adults, our parent's friends, and the fact that they had children who we used to play with when we were little. The four of us used to be the best of friends, spending almost all of our time together, we even bathed together until our parents decided that we were old enough that boys and girls should bathe separately and so Kaworu, I and the other girl bathed together while the boy bathed alone. I still remember how the other girl had complained at that particular alteration, angry that she was being kept away from her 'boyfriend'. The irony was that she spent most of her time calling him an idiot and hitting him, obviously that was her way of telling him how she felt.

I won't deny I also had a soft spot for him, there was something about him that seemed to draw you to him, even Kaworu used to give him a smile despite the fact she was very shy back in those days. Perhaps if things had worked out differently, if our parents had survived and we had never left Tokyo-3 then one of us would be dating him now…but I guess it wasn't meant to be. I can still remember the way he held her in his arms, comforting her with his embrace and the pain I felt in my heart that he had chosen her over me. I screamed and cried and wailed, Kaworu holding onto me desperately, holding me back, until finally one of the nurses came and gave me something that made me sleep, right up until our uncle arrived and took us away.

I hated them so much right then, not only because both his parents and her mother had survived, but simply because they seemed too intent on comforting one another, forgetting about Kaworu and me. They looked up when I shouted at them, telling them I hated them over and over again, tears streaming down my face, and that was the last I saw of them. It wasn't until I was twelve that I finally stopped hating them, that I accepted that they had suffered just like we had, that they too had been trying to deal with their grief. For a ling time I wished that I could see them again, to say sorry, to ask if we could be friends again. It was a foolish dream and after a while it was forgotten along with most of the other memories I had of Tokyo-3.

Finally tired of shopping we decided to take a break and get something to eat, stopping in at a small café Kaworu pointed out on the way. We stood outside, reading the menu for a moment before deciding to go in when I caught sight of a familiar face standing inside. I was shocked to find the pervert standing not more than ten feet away along with one of his friends, two thirds of the aptly named stooges. Definitely not wanting to been seen by them, if only because wherever pervert boy went his demonic girlfriend was sure to be close behind, I started to move away, but not quickly enough that Kaworu missed where I was looking and glanced over that way before a wicked grin spread across her face.

"So, which one was it? The hunky one in the tracksuit or his cute friend?"

I was unsuccessful in stifling a slight snarl when she mentioned him, Kaworu's eyes danced with delight and at once I got that all too familiar sinking feeling, well aware that she was going to do something embarrassing. Before I could do anything to dissuade her or hold her back, Kaworu had already opened the door and walked inside, approaching the two boys with a smile on her face. It was around then that the demon emerged from the ladies room, talking to the class rep…looks like I'm going to have to go to Kaworu's rescue before she does something that I'll regret…I slipped inside, walking quickly up behind my sister and starting to pull her away when suddenly someone called out my name.

"Ayanami?"

Oh great. Pervert boy's seen me. Knowing there was no point in running now I plastered a neutral smile on my face and turned to face him.

"Hello Ikari."

He seemed unsure of what to say next, standing there with a blank expression on his face…Kaworu of course choose that moment to chime in.

"Rei, aren't you going to introduce me?"

I really do hate her at times…this is one of them.

"Ikari, my sister Kaworu. Kaworu, my classmate Ikari."

Kaworu bowed slightly.

"Nagisa Kaworu, I am pleased to meet you Ikari…?"

"Shinji."

Kaworu smiled in response, oh how I hated that smile. It was the one she used all the time, whenever she was trying to convince some poor boy to take her out on a date.

"Um, miss Nagisa?"

"Yes?"

"Pardon me for asking but why do you and your sister have different last names?"

Great. Just great. Now she's just going to have to tell him the entire story, and here I was hoping to make a quick getaway…

"Shinji!"

Oh crap, devil girl has arrived. She immediately fixed Kaworu with a hateful gaze, obviously upset that she was flirting with her 'childhood friend'.

"Uh…this is Ayanami's sister, Nagisa Kaworu."

She turned her attention to me now, glowering at me.

"You again."

"Yes. Me."

"I told you before, keep away from my Shinji."

"Your Shinji? I though he was just a 'childhood friend'."

That one caught her of guard, causing her to think for a moment, looking for a comeback. Before she could say anything however the class rep intervened.

Somehow she managed to make peace, insisting that everyone join her and Suzahara in visiting his younger sister who was currently in the hospital after having an accident when walking to school. I was rather surprised to find out that Ikari had been the one to pull her out of harms way; Suzahara spoke enthusiastically all the way, gesticulating wildly as Ikari blush and kept silent even while demon girl beamed with pride. When the stooge started repeating himself, I simply tuned him out, turning my thoughts inwards instead. It surprised me that Ikari would have done something so brave, he doesn't strike me as the kind of guy to go throwing himself in front of traffic to save one little girl…but I guess appearances can be deceiving. I think perhaps I might stop calling him a pervert now; I'll give him the benefit of the doubt.

When we arrived at the hospital the nurse waved in greeting, obviously Suzahara came here regularly. When devil girl and Ikari also received similar greetings I was surprised, Ikari I could understand but her…I never would have believed she was capable of doing something nice like visiting her boyfriend's friend's kid sister. Maybe I might have to reconsider my opinion of her as well…a quick look in her direction and I decided against it, she simply glared back and held more tightly onto Ikari. Realising Kaworu had been silent for quite a long time I looked over at my sister to find her spacing out slightly, something she almost never does. Best not to dwell on it, so long as she is like this she isn't bothering me…or anyone else.

"Big brother!"

A girl's voice called out and Suzahara moved away from the rest of us to greet his younger sister. She held out her arms to him and he hugged her gently before turning to face us with a huge grin and proclaiming.

"Ayanami, Nagisa, this is my little sister Mari."

She bowed her head slightly in greeting and we returned the gesture before she noticed the other three people in the room.

"Big brother Shinji! Big sis Asuka! Big sis Hikari! You all came to see me!"

"Hello Mari."

"Hi squirt."

"Uh…hi."

The demon had taken on a playful tone, her demeanour more relaxed, she was actually treating the girl like a surrogate younger sister. Obviously this was appreciated as the girl beamed intently at her. Then, a thoughtful look came across her face before she turned to her brother and asked him a question.

"Big brother, does this mean big sis Asuka and big brother Shinji are a couple now like you and big sister Hikari?"

Ikari started coughing even as the class rep blushed bright red. The surprised look on the demon girl's face indicated that she had obviously been unaware of the fact the two were dating and turned an accusatory look at her friend. Meanwhile Kaworu and I stood in the background, observing the chaos that ensued as Ikari began to make hasty denials only to retract them as the devil whispered something in his ear that had him shivering slightly. We spent about another half hour there before Ikari pointed out the time, indicating that he and Suzahara had a prior engagement, meeting Aida at the local video games arcade. Of course, demon girl insisted on coming along, forcing the class rep into agreeing who in turn asked us to come with them. Before I could reply Kaworu had accepted for the both of us, and the five us made our farewells before departing the hospital and making for the local video arcade.

When we arrived, Aida was already waiting outside, he was about to say something when he no doubt noticed the extra people present and turned a questioning gaze and Suzahara and Ikari. They of course replied silently with a look that I assume meant something like 'sorry' before the other boy shrugged and took the lead, signalling for us to follow him inside. The interior was filled with people, the majority of who seemed to be of around our age, all staring intently at various arcade machines. We stopped in the middle of a fairly large open space before Aida came to a halt before turning round to address us.

"Ok, here's how it works. We split up into groups, going after our favourite games and meet up back here in half an hour to go to the group ones, ok?"

We all agreed and the group broke apart, demon girl dragging off Ikari while Suzahara and the class rep went off in another. Alone with Aida and having no idea what else to do I asked if we could join him, something to which he too quickly agreed before leading to various arcade machines and demonstrating how to play. I was rather surprised to find I had a talent for these things, doing particularly well at the combat simulation games. Kaworu had proved to be far less able and had instead decided to watch from the sidelines as Aida and I waded through level after level. When we finally reached the end the final boss killed us both and we were about to put in coins to continue when Kaworu pointed out the time. We rushed back to meet with the others; we were the only ones to be late before heading up to the next floor where the larger group games were situated.

As it turned out they were surprisingly busy that day, a new game had just been released and so you could not get a machine for love nor money. Mildly disappointed, we went to the small food court to eat before deciding to call it a day and head our separate ways. This of course provided an unexpected revelation, demon girl and Ikari live in the same building as we do…just as the heavens opened and it began to pour with rain. When we finally made it undercover we were all soaking, Ikari surprisingly asked us if we would like to come to his apartment briefly to dry out, much to the annoyance of demon girl. I agreed if only to irk her more, graciously accepting the towel he handed me. As Kaworu, devil girl and I sat there drying our hair, Ikari slipped into the kitchen to make us all some tea.

For the second time today I find myself re-evaluating him, finding that he is not as bad as I had first thought, despite the fact that devil girl is always trailing around after him. I heard the sound of the front door opening and looked up as someone entered, her face triggering an old memory and bring it to the front of my mind.

"Aunt Yui?"

"Rei? Kaworu? Is that you?"

_AN: Ok, I know it's taken me eternity (well half of it at least) to get out this chapter but I have legitimate reasons, namely work. This is what you get for being in charge of too many projects and not having enough people to work on them so you end up doing a lot of it yourself, a warning for all you budding PMs out there. Well, I don't know when the next one will be ready. I'm presently trying to get out a chapter for all the ones outstanding (and before anyone mentions it again, that does not include Forgotten, that is a special pet project of mine and will be updated as and when I have time to write the larger chapters it requires) or Another Time (not sure what exactly will become of that one…most people seem to have forgotten about it, pardon the pun). Juugo will be updated as well but I'm going to try a round robin…well, until I get writers block again. I will at least promise not to start anymore until at least one of the current is done, place your bets now as to which one that will be…(my guess is 02). Ok, and with that my longest authors notes draws to a close, a merry Christmas and happy new year to all of you and before you ask no, my news years resolution does not involve writing…_

_Thanks,_

_  
Hououza_

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	6. Revelations Shinji

**In a Perfect World: 6 – Revelations (Shinji)**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction._

"Hello Shin-man."

"Toji?"

I cursed silently, up until now things had been going rather well, considering the fact I had managed to see Asuka naked, fall on top of her, and get caught out in the middle of the hallway with a half naked Asuka straddling me by my dad of all people…ok, maybe this is just par for the course. The thing is I need to get Toji out of here before Asuka comes back, this is a nice place and I would rather be able to come back here again, something we won't be able to do if those two get into one of their usual fights. Even more problematic is that if Toji sees Asuka and I here, alone, together, he'll put two and two together and for once, not get five. We may not have agreed this to be a 'date' but the more I think about, the more I realise that it is, and I will never live it down if Toji and Kensuke find out.

"So, watcha doing here Shin-man?"

"I…uh…breakfast! My parents went out for the day so I thought I would come out for some breakfast. What about you?"

At this point I was surprised to see him start sweating slightly, he looked nervous for some reason, almost as nervous as I was although the only thing that should make him that shifty is if he… were on a 'date' too! That must be it! I knew there was something amiss when he said he plans for the morning before going to the arcade. So, the question is, who was he on a 'date' with...

It was as I was about to ask him that a grey haired girl I had never seen before approached us. She seemed about to greet us when Ayanami showed up from out of nowhere and started tugging on the other girl's arm. Looking at the two I noticed that the other girl's eyes were red like Ayanami's and for a brief moment wondered if they could be sisters.

_I couldn't stop laughing as the twins held me down while Asuka tickled me mercilessly._

I blinked, not sure where that memory had come from, and why the two girls in it looked so familiar. Shaking it off I turned my attention to the pair just in front of us, Ayanami still trying intently to pull the other girl away.

"Ayanami?"

She paused for a moment, before turning to face me and reluctantly replying.

"Hello Ikari."

She began to turn to leave once again when the other girl spoke up.

"Rei, aren't you going to introduce me?"

I was a little surprised by the other girl's use of her first name, perhaps they are related after all.

"Ikari, my sister Kaoru. Kaoru, my classmate Ikari."

Nagisa bowed slightly, her rather loose shirt allowing me a clear view of her cleavage.

"Nagisa Kaoru, I am pleased to meet you Ikari…"

Blushing heavily, I struggled to answer.

"Shinji."

Nagisa smiled in response, and I felt my face heat once again. I looked away, knowing that this was technically unfair to Asuka. It was then a thought struck me, if they were sisters then why did they have different last names?

"Um, miss Nagisa?"

"Yes?"

"Pardon me for asking, but why do you and your sister have different last names?"

Miss Nagisa was about to answer when an all too familiar shout boomed across the restaurant and I knew I was in trouble.

"Shinji!"

Asuka stormed over to us, taking a firm hold of my arm and gripping it tightly, almost possessively. I could see her glaring at Nagisa out of the corner of my eye and in a desperate attempt to ease some of the tension I tried making introductions.

"Uh…this is Ayanami's sister, Nagisa Kaoru."

This of course triggered Asuka to turn to glare at Ayanami…

"You again."

"Yes. Me."

"I told you before, keep away from my Shinji."

Her what? Since when did Asuka think of me like that!

"Your Shinji? I though he was just a 'childhood friend'."

Thankfully, the class rep, who had honestly not even noticed until that moment spoke up, suggesting that everyone come with her and Toji to visit his little sister Mari in the hospital. This time I was the one to put two and two together and come up with four, now I understood why Toji had been so nervous; he had been on a date with the class rep! A quick glance in his direction and we shared a silent conversation, agreeing not to tell Kensuke what we had been doing. Meanwhile the girls were still arguing about something although by this point I had just tuned them out, hoping that whatever it was did not involve me. Asuka's words are still bugging me, called me 'her Shinji', as if I were her boyfriend as opposed to just her childhood friend.

Until today I had never really thought about it, dating Asuka. She had always been my friend, who happened to be a girl. Until this morning I hadn't really noticed how much she'd grown…I was have less than wholesome thoughts about her for the first time ever and the worst part of it was that I enjoyed them. In truth, I really wouldn't mind being 'her Shinji', she knows my likes and dislikes, knows how to make me laugh and how to console me when I'm upset. But at the same time, she often bosses me about, gets angry with me over nothing and sometimes behaves like a complete and utter bitch. I'm not sure...I know I have feelings for her, it's just all too sudden for me to understand what they are yet…to work out if I've fallen in love with my best friend.

"Shinji!"

Asuka's voice snapped me back to reality.

"Huh? What?"

She shook her head, sighing in disgust.

"Idiot! You have go and pay the bill first! Do I have to tell you everything!"

Apologising silently, I started to walk over to the counter only to find Asuka came with me, never once letting go of my arm.

"Big brother!"

Mari was obviously very pleased to see Toji, despite the fact she was unable to get up from her bed she squealed in excitement and held out her arms for him to hug her. He did as she asked, before turning to introduce Ayanami and her sister, we purposefully kept a little further back so as not to get in the way.

"Ayanami, Nagisa, this is my little sister Mari."

Both of the bowed in greeting and Mari bowed as best she could in return. Then she looked over at us and a huge smile spread across her face.

"Big brother Shinji! Big sis Asuka! Big sis Hikari! You all came to see me!"

"Hello Mari."

"Hi squirt."

"Uh…hi."

Asuka's tone was much softer than usual, a testament to how much the younger girl had grown on her. I can still remember the day it happened, we were on the way to school and I had spotted a young girl up ahead of us, crossing the road. A reckless driver, obviously not paying attention had clipped her, sending her tumbling down into the middle of the road. Seeing the oncoming traffic approaching her I shouted to Asuka while dropping my book bag and breaking into a run. When I reached her I scooped her up into my arms with strength I never knew I had, lifting her up to my chest and carrying her off the road. By the time Asuka caught up with me she was already talking on her cell phone, calling for an ambulance. They arrived and the girl was taken to hospital and we hurried on to school.

The morning classes came and went, I had almost forgotten about the events of the morning when one of the teachers had approached us, before asking to speak with Toji for a moment. His expression quickly turned solemn and when he returned to us his hands were shaking slightly. He told us that his little sister had been in an accident and was at the hospital. Their dad was already on his way there; he was going as well. We said we would accompany him, and after a moment he got us both in headlocks, shouting that he was glad to have friends like us. The three of us made for the gate only to be intercepted by Hikari and Asuka. Asuka had been particularly angry with me until I told her what was happening.

What happened next surprised not only me but I think everyone else including Asuka herself. All she said was 'let's go' and the five of us marched straight off the school grounds and over to the hospital to check on Toji's sister. When we arrived Mr Suzahara waiting there, he looked at each of us in turn before turning his attention back to Toji. Apparently Mari was hit by a reckless driver and had suffered injuries to her legs and pelvis but had been saved from further injury by a mysterious boy. She would be in the hospital for the next month while the bones healed and after that she would need to undergo a course of physical therapy. We were all somewhat relieved, even more so when we were allowed to see her if only briefly.

Her face lit up when she recognised me and to my surprised I realised she was the girl from that morning. Toji had been stunned by this development, and after a moment of simply standing there doing a wonderful carp impression he pulled me into a fierce bear hug. His father had come in and thanked me as well, both of them on the verge of tears, thanking me over and over again for saving Mari. Mari herself was smiling, despite her injuries, proclaiming that went she was older she wanted to marry me. Everyone laughed at that comment, Toji getting me in a headlock and telling me that I had better be good to his sister. This sparked another round of laughter until we were finally ushered out by the nurses for being too noisy.

We visited her one or twice after that, always staying for a while to talk and keep her company. Although he would never admit it to her, Toji told me that he was grateful to Asuka for being there because Mari had apparently taking a liking to her along with Hikari. They were like the older sisters she never had. Back to the present and she presently had a thoughtful look upon her face for a moment before asking.

"Big brother, does this mean big sis Asuka and big brother Shinji are a couple now like you and big sister Hikari?"

I started coughing, not expecting her to say something like that. Asuka meanwhile was thankfully shooting accusatory glares at Hikari; obviously she had neglected to inform Asuka of her relationship with Toji. Recovering my composure I was started to hastily deny that Asuka and I were in fact a couple until she lent over and whispered in my ear.

"Does that mean I have to tell them about this morning?"

I shivered slightly, well aware that Asuka was not kidding, despite the embarrassment it would cause her the trouble it caused me would be unimaginable…I wisely made no further attempts at denials, something that had Asuka smirking as she rested her head against my shoulder gently. Time passed without me really noticing. I glanced down at my watch only to find it was getting close to the time we had agreed to meet with Kensuke. I pointed this out only to have Asuka declare that she was coming along, as well as Hikari who in turn invited Ayanami and Nagisa. Toji glared at me briefly and I shrugged in response, not much we could do about it now.

When we arrived at the arcade Kensuke was already waiting for us. He gave us a questioning look, silently asking what the girls were doing there. Toji and I both gave him looks that meant 'sorry'. He shrugged before for us to follow without a word. We walked into the foyer area, pausing for a moment when Kensuke held up a hand for us to stop.

"Ok, here's how it works. We split up into groups, going after our favourite games and meet up back here in half an hour to go to the group ones, ok?"

Everyone nodded and before I could say anything, Asuka was already dragging me off, no doubt in the direction of the fighting game machines. She pulled me along for a while until she found an empty machine before making me sit down beside her as she placed some coins into the machine. She won all the fights that followed, right up until the point that she realised that I had been letting her win.

"Shinji…if you let me win even one more round, then you are going to owe me one kiss a time. Got it?"

After that I got serious and had a winning streak although she did beat me once in the final round. I figured that she would want to collect then and there but she surprised me when she put a finger to my lips before mouthing 'later' and dragging me off to meet the others. It was a shame about the simulation games, we'll have to go back again next weekend and see if they are a little less busy then. The food court had proved to be better than I would have expected, we hadn't tried it before and to be honest I had been expecting the worst. After that we decided to call it a day and made our way home, it was around that time I had discovered that Ayanami and her sister live in the same building as Asuka and I do. When it started raining we all started running but we were still too far away to avoid getting soaked quite badly, I don't know why I did it but I invited Ayanami and her sister in, I guess it was because it was partly my fault that they got wet in the first place, if they hadn't gotten pulled along with us then they probably would have remained dry.

While the girls sat on the couch, drying out slowly, I went to the bathroom and fetched towels for them to at least dry their hair at the same time as collecting another for myself. I returned to the living room and handed them each one before going into the kitchen to make some tea for everyone. It was as I was in the middle of preparing it I heard the front door open, glancing over at the clock I was surprised, my parents had said they would not be back until late and yet it was only six o'clock. Making a mental note to ask them why they had come home so early I finished making the tea even as I heard them come into the living room, adding three extra cups as I could hear aunt Kyoko. It was just as I was about to pick up the tray and take it into the living room that all hell broke loose.

"Aunt Yui?"

"Rei? Kaoru? Is that you?"

What the hell! 'Aunt Yui'? How the hell does Ayanami know my mother and why the hell is she calling her Aunt Yui! Does anyone else think this is strange? At what point did we cross over into some weird alternate dimension? Next thing you know my father will be head of an international military organisation and a complete and utter bastard while my mother is trapped in a giant biomechanical robot that I am forced to pilot against my will, fighting giant aliens that are for some unexplainable reason named after messengers of god…o-k, no more sci-fi marathons with Kensuke for me.

"Shinji, come in here please."

Still feeling a little uncertain I none the less did as my mother asked, walking into the living room and coming to stand in front of her. She turned to look at me, her face serious.

"Why didn't you tell me that Rei and Kaoru were here?"

I looked at her confused for a moment before replying.

"Um, because I didn't know you wanted me to?"

Now it was my mother's turn to look confused for a moment.

"Shinji…you do remember Rei-chan and Kaoru-chan, don't you?"

"Um, no."

"Asuka?"

"Sorry aunt Yui."

She turned to Rei and Kaoru.

"Girls?"

"No."

"Uh-uh."

My mother shook her head.

"I can't believe all of you, forgetting your friends so easily. The four of you used to be inseparable when you were small."

"We were?"

"Right up until the incident…when Rei and Kaoru went to live with their uncle."

I paused for a moment, forcing my memory back to that day, reliving that moment when I had held Asuka as she cried. I could see two other figures there, two girls, each with the same grey hair and red eyes.

"I…I remember…that day…you were there."

Ayanami looked away, refusing to look me in the eye, while Nagisa fixed me with an uncertain gaze.

"Shin-chan?"

"Yes."

She turned to Asuka.

"Suka-chan."

Asuka hesitated for a moment before nodding. I was caught of guard when Nagisa launched herself at me, throwing her arms about me in a tight embrace.

"Shinji-chan!"

I flushed bright red, even as in the cornier of my eye I could see Asuka getting angrier by the moment.

"Um…Nagisa?"

"Kaoru."

"What?"

"You used to call me Kaoru when we were little."

I hesitated for a moment before sighing, knowing that this was another battle I could not win.

"Kaoru, could you please let go of me."

Her eyes were playful as she replied.

"No."

Asuka stood up, her tone was that of a serious warning.

"Let go of him Kaoru!"

Kaoru simply turned to face her before sticking her tongue out.

"You've gotten to hold him more than enough Suka-chan, after all he did promise to marry me as well."

"What!"

"Don't you remember? When we were four? We were all playing in the garden after going to our parent's friend's wedding? Shinji promised to marry us when we were older. I'm just making up for lost time, no telling how far the two of you have gotten since we've been gone."

"Kaoru!"

Thankfully Rei stepped in, stopping it from going any further…or so I hoped.

"Let go if him Kaoru."

"Hmmm, want your turn already Rei? Don't let me stand in your way."

Before I could react she had let go of my waist before pushing me over towards Rei, leaving me dangerously off balance. Rei tried in vain to keep me upright but in the end ended up being pulled down along with me. We landed on the floor in a tangle of limbs; her lips only centimetres from my own and at once I recalled the incident that morning, when I had been in almost the same position with Asuka. Looking into her eyes I could see them get wider, even as her lips parted slightly, as if preparing for contact. For a moment I found myself moving closer until at last I caught myself, realised what I was doing and who was watching before pulling away sharply and forcing myself to my feet before offering her a hand up.

She reluctantly accepted, allowing me to help her to her feet before glaring at her sister. She went back to sit on the couch, crossing her arm across her chest and refusing to talk to anyone. Asuka made a point of walking over to me, taking me by the arm, before pushing me down onto the couch and seating herself in my lap. Kaoru glared at her while our parents just looked on in shock. In the end my father was the first to speak out.

"See dear? I told you the two of them had gotten closer."

At this point aunt Kyoko turned to my mother, crying profusely.

"I'm too young to be a grandmother yet Yui!"

Immediately both mine and Asuka's faces flamed red. She jumped out of my lap as if it were on fire pointing at her mother and shouting.

"Mother! We haven't done that yet! Stop being so melodramatic!"

Aunt Kyoko stopped crying, sniffed a little and was about to say something in response when the lights suddenly went out.

_Thank god for that. _

_AN: Ok, there goes chapter 6, chapter 7 will be Asuka's POV. After updates for No, Juugo and 02 in that order…_

_Thanks for the support._

_Hououza _

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	7. Revelations Asuka

**In a Perfect World: 7 – Revelations (Asuka)**

Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction.

I just cannot believe the day I'm having! First of all I wake up with Shinji on top of me, second, because I was half asleep at the time I made the mistake of believing I was still dreaming and tried to undress him. Then, after I finally caught up with him after he ran off and was about to get an explanation out of him as to just what he had been doing in my room in the first place, his father walks in on us. It wouldn't have been so bad if it were anyone else but no, Uncle Gendo simply had to congratulate us and egg Shinji on…I was so glad when Aunt Yui called for him ending the rather awkward moment. Next, after I recover from that little fiasco, Shinji asks me out for breakfast as an apology…only it turns out he found a place that serves western food, which just happens to be my favourite.

By that point I had decided that it was basically an unofficial date, unofficial only because neither one of us had actually come out and called it that but still I was content to just sit and enjoy breakfast alone with Shinji. Our parents were out and I had toyed idly with the idea of going back to my apartment after breakfast and continuing what I started…that was until another stooge showed up on a date…with Hikari no less! I can't believe the idiot finally found the courage to ask her…she's been waiting for him to pluck up the nerve for a while now. Of course, if that wasn't awkward enough that blue haired hussy just had to make an appearance. Her twin sister proved to be even worse when she immediately started trying to seduce 'my' Shinji.

It turned out Hikari and the big idiot were going to visit his little sister in the hospital, and of course Shinji just had to agree to their invitation to tag along; he just can't stop himself from helping people, even if it's just visiting to help cheer her up slightly. It went rather well, apart from Shinji's denial of our relationship when questioned about it by Mari, although the threat of telling everyone about that morning soon silenced his protests. After that we went to the arcade, picking up the third stooge along the way. We had some fun during our time there, Shinji only getting serious when I threatened him with owing me a kiss every time he lost to me. In the end he did lose one round that cost him the match, but I decided it would be more fun to collect on it later.

We met of with the others soon after, taking a tour of the simulation games but finding they were all far too busy to make it worth waiting. After that we had to stop by the food court courtesy of the jock's stomach, a visit that proved to be far better than I expected, especially when I positioned myself beside Shinji and spent the entire time pressed up against him, feeding him his meal. Hikari spent the entire time blushing and hinting at the other idiot, but he couldn't seem to get the hint. Meanwhile the other three just sat in silence, although Wondergirl's sister kept glaring at me. We decided to head home afterwards; it was then we discovered that those two lived in the same apartment building as we did when the four of us kept going the same way.

I started cursing as that rain came down, I hadn't brought a jacket and the rain was making my dress cling to me. Not that I would have minded if it were just me and Shinji but I didn't really want any other perverts looking at me that way. It was only made worse when Shinji invited them into his parent's apartment to dry off from the rain. To be honest I had been hoping to get some alone time…then, as if to add insult to injury, our parents arrived back home, we discovered that the twins were, in fact, our childhood friends who had moved away after the accident…that part shocked me because I can remember how close we used to be before, and finally my mother decided to embarrass in front of Shinji by commenting about grandchildren. I wasn't surprised when the lights went out suddenly, what else can possibly go wrong…

"Oof!"

I just had to ask didn't I? Someone knocked into me in the darkness, knocking us both of balance and sending us tumbling to the floor. Of course, given my luck so far today they just had to land on top of me…I'm almost willing to bet that it's Shinji, considering the incident with Ayanami earlier in the week and with me this morning he seems to have developed a habit of running into girls lately, although I'm the one he falls on top of the most…not that I mind of course. So, I lay their patiently, waiting for the person now lying directly on top of me to identify themselves, all the while secretly hoping that it would be Shinji…

"Uh…Asuka?"

Score!

I smiled in the darkness; well aware that he wouldn't be able to see the Cheshire cat like grin that now adorned my face because of our close contact. Given the fact that this is the second time its happened today one could almost accuse him of doing it on purpose…but then again this is Shinji we're talking about. He's just not cunning enough to try and pull off something like that, not to mention he's still seemingly oblivious to how I feel about him…still, I guess it's not so bad all things considered; the lights are still out after all meaning that no one can see us, or what we are doing for that matter…I can feel his breath brushing against my lips gently, his face must be just above my own.

I hesitated for a moment, toying with the idea of moving upward, closing the distance between us and claiming the kiss that he owned me from the arcade. It's not exactly how I would have envisaged it but still, given Shinji's behaviour I wouldn't want to waste such a good chance…I didn't even realise I was moving until my lips contacted his and I lost my self in the taste of him. He didn't react at first, I felt his body tense above me, but slowly he began to relax, his lips moving softly as he returned the gentle pressure I was applying and began to kiss me back. I allowed my arms to move up and encircle his neck, keeping him close to me even as our lips remained in contact.

Just as my eyes were starting to slide closed a bright light erupted out of the darkness around us, illuminating us both.

"Don't panic anybody, I found the flashlight…oh."

That is the second time his father has interrupted us, damn it! Does he have radar or something that tells him whenever Shinji and I are getting close? I swear, after Shinji and I get married we are going to move somewhere far away from here, somewhere like Germany…of course, at that point my mother had her own point to put in.

"My little girl's all grown up! Kissing her boyfriend like that at every opportunity!"

Shinji started to pull away from me, obviously planning on denying my mother's assumption. Not wanting to hear him making denials I held him tightly, deepening the kiss as much as I could, while hoping desperately that he would stop resisting me. To my considerable relief he sagged slightly, no longer trying to pull away but at the same time not responding to me as openly. To my considerable relief the light winked out a moment later, leaving us in the dark once more…after a moment I finally pulled away. I couldn't see his face clearly, my eyes unaccustomed to the darkness but still I could just about make out the outline of his face above me.

There was a moment when I was uncertain of whether he was angry with me, but then much to my surprise and delight he leant down and kissed me, but to my disappointment the contact was brief and he quickly pulled away afterwards.

"Sorry."

Was all he whispered briefly before being swallowed by the darkness. All I could do was lay there silently, wondering what it could mean, both when he had kissed me and afterwards when he had apologised.

I'm not sure how long I lay there, mulling over Shinji's words and actions and the discrepancies between them. He didn't fight it when I kissed him! He kissed me back! It wasn't until Uncle Gendo had come blundering in again and lit us up with that blasted flashlight that he broke contact! Everything afterward…I just don't understand. He kissed me again but then apologised and disappeared into the dark… I can't even begin to work out what he must have been thinking…I just can't work out what was going through his mind. I want to corner him, to ask him why he did that…but I can't find him in the dark, and calling out will just make things more awkward. Angry at the present situation I just sat there in an awkward silence, listening to the little sounds until Aunt Yui finally spoke out.

"All right everyone, as it seems that the power will not be coming back on any time soon I think we all ought to go out and get some dinner. Kyoko and I are already rather hungry, we only had a light lunch after all…I suspect my husband feels the same way."

As if in answer there was a soft rumbling sound from the darkness…Aunt Yui continued as if nothing had happened, her words justified.

"Hopefully by the time we get back the lights should be back on."

There were murmurs of agreement from around the room, following which the beam of a flashlight winked into existence once more, this time revealing Uncle Gendo's face and upper torso. One arm emerged from the shadows as he beckoned for everyone to assemble around him; one by one shapes detached themselves from the darkness until we all stood huddled about him and the only source of light. It was then that a second light source showed up, this time Shinji was the one holding the torch. Unlike his father he held the torch downwards, meaning that his face remained concealed in the shadows. Still wanting to speak with him I moved over to where he was standing but to my considerable irritation the twins followed, one leading the other despite her protests.

Once we were all assembled Uncle Gendo struck out in the direction he believed the door to be in…after managing to end up in the kitchen, the bathroom and Shinji's bedroom on the third try Aunt Yui took hold of the flashlight and we finally managed to locate the front door. There was a bit of a tangle as we all tried to get our shoes on, people bumped into one another and eventually we waited while the adults donned their shoes then we sought out our own. After a few false starts we made it out into the hallway, the last vestiges of daylight illuminating the corridor just enough for us to navigate by without the flashlights. I waited by the door for Shinji to come out; I caught hold of his arm as he passed, pulling him off to the side, intent on talking to him before we departed for the restaurant.

He didn't resist, but still he refused to look at me, turning his head away when I looked at him. In the end I pinned him up against the wall, cupping his face in my hands. Our gazes locked and I saw reflected in his eyes my own worries and doubts…it seemed that he was just as uncertain as I was. Feeling slightly heartened by this development I released him from my hold, before leading him down the hallway after the others. I noticed that Wondergirl's sister was giving me a dirty look but I simply ignored her, nothing could ruin the feeling I had, not now. The stairwell was shrouded in darkness, the pillars blocking out the daylight meaning we were once again forced to rely on the flashlights to see where we were going.

While the adults walked a little further ahead, the rest of us followed a short distance behind, Shinji leading the way with the second flashlight. I noticed Wondergirl was not keeping quite as larger distance between her and Shinji as she had before whereas her sister was virtually on top of him. I have this sinking feeling about that, I can vaguely remember things from back when we were younger…I don't have the 'oldest childhood friend' advantage with those two. Still, I wasn't willing to give him up without a fight; I tightened my hold on Shinji's free arm, sending a cocky grin back towards the sisters. Kaworu simply grinned back before taking hold of his other arm and sending me a look that said 'two can play'. It continued that way for a while until Shinji stumbled and dropped the flashlight forcing us to let go.

When we emerged from the stairs there was almost no daylight left and we were forced to continue to rely on the torches to reveal our path. We wound our way across the parking area, making for where Uncle Gendo's SUV was parked. Thankfully it had still been raining when our parents came back so they had parked close at hand. As we walked up to it and Uncle Gendo unlocked it we were faced with a new dilemma…the SUV had space for five people at most yet there were seven of us here…there was a brief bought of discussion before an agreement was made. Aunt Yui would sit in the front next to Uncle Gendo while the rest of us squashed into the back. My mother got in first, positioned herself in the middle of the back seat, meaning other would have to sit on people's laps.

Naturally I claimed Shinji's lap for my own almost as soon as he had sat down. My mother smiled at me, mischief in her eyes but I pleaded with her silently to remain silent. There was one terrible moment when I was afraid she was going to say something…some remark that would set me off…I was pleasantly surprised when she remained silent, evidently she must have decided that her comments in the apartment had embarrassed me enough for now. The twins got in the other side, Kaworu glaring at me openly while Wondergirl seem only slightly upset. After struggling to put on our seat belts we set off, driving into Tokyo-3 in search of something to eat.

We drove around at for a while as everyone argued about where to eat…well, the adults argued with one another while the rest of us simply sat there in silence, waiting for them to make a decision. The twins seemed to be getting a little impatient; although they didn't say anything I could see the frustration in their eyes. As for Shinji…he reused to meet my gaze. His head was directed towards the window, shielding his eyes from me. I could however see the faint blush that stained his cheeks and I could also feel just how much he was enjoying the fact I was riding in his lap. Of course I was taking great pains not to allow anyone else in the vehicle become aware of just what was happening, this is something just for me and I intended to enjoy it without anymore embarrassing interruptions.

Eventually we pulled up somewhere on the edge of the shopping district and continued the hunt on foot. Luckily the signs of Shinji's 'enjoyment' were not too obvious so there was no further embarrassment…even if he did walk a little funny at first. We wondered about for a further five minutes before settling on our favourite Japanese restaurant, owned by acquaintances of our parents from college, the Kirishimas. Their daughter, Mana, is the same age as Shinji and I…she even used to have a crush on him a couple of years ago. They even went out on a date once; I was over at his parent's apartment when she arrived to pick him up. She wore a white sundress that only served to accent her figure. When Shinji saw her I heard his breath catch, at once I felt jealous that he never saw me like that.

I spent the entire time they were out brooding to myself, angry with both him and myself. I should have been the one he was out with not her…but I was too afraid to ask him and he was too dense to realise I wanted him to ask. It was early evening when he came back, there was a smile on his face but it didn't quite reach his eyes, after knowing him for so long I knew something was wrong.

"Shinji, what's wrong?"

"Nothing…it's just I don't think that Mana and I will be going out on a date again. We decided we're just going to remain friends."

My heart leapt at that and at once I felt guilty for the selfish emotion. While Mana and I were not overly close she was still a friend.

"Oh…what happened?"

He turned to look at me and for a moment something unreadable had flicked across his eyes and was gone.

"We talked, and we both realised that more than friends wasn't what we want."

That was all he said on the matter because after that he walked off into the bathroom, moments later I heard the sounds of the shower. The thing is that it didn't end there…the next day I pulled Mana aside at lunch.

"What happened with Shinji? Why did things change of a sudden?"

She looked at me, and I saw that same something flick through her eyes that had been in Shinji's. What she said next has stuck with me ever since then, because even now I'm not entirely sure what she meant when she said it.

I realised that Shinji's isn't the one for me…besides, he's already in love with someone else…he just doesn't know it yet.

"Asuka!"

_AN: Um…ok, double oops…Psiberkiwi has very kindly pointed out another slight problem, as the changes to chapter 6 messed up chapter 5. Because of this I've decided to reinstate chapter 6 as it was…it's too difficult to remove the events I set out in 5 as they are quite pivotal to certain developments._

_Work is pushing hard at the moment…but I am writing a bit more now, trying to schedule better. However as of now No is on hold while I review the story and decide how I want to precede with it. For a long time I've been having trouble with the third person pov…I need to look at again and see whether I need to go back and take it into first as I did with 02. Don't expect anything soon…I want to get the others sorted first._

_Thanks you all for your patience,_


	8. Dining Shinji

**In a Perfect World: 8 – Dinning Together (Shinji)**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction._

"Asuka!"

I called out to her, barely catching hold of her arm in time to steer her away from the seemingly inevitable collision with one of the restaurants waiters and narrowly avoiding the carnage that would have followed. I pulled her round to face me; ready to chew her out for not paying attention to where she was going when I noticed her eyes. They seemed strangely distant, as if she were looking at something beyond what I was seeing...I've never seen Asuka in a daze like that before. Concerned, I leant closer to her, trying to work out just what it was that had got her acting like that when her attention seemed to snap back to the foreground and became focused directly onto me. It was at this point I finally realised just how close I had gotten, too close…I don't want another repeat of what happened at home here.

When she kissed me, back at the apartment…it was just so sudden, I didn't know how to react. So I acted on instinct; and kissed her back. I can't deny I enjoyed the feel of her lips on top of my own, even if something deep inside of me kept crying out for me to take control, to become the dominant one in the situation. That was when my father decided to light us up…after that I just wanted to get away from there, away from the embarrassment and Aunt Kyoko's comments…but even more away from the looks I must have been getting from Rei and Kaworu. Asuka pulled away from me and for a moment I was struck by an odd sense of loss…I don't know what drove me to do it but I leant down and kissed her again, but only briefly before realising just what I was doing, apologising and running away.

When we finally went out…I just couldn't face her, but she cornered me anyway, just like always. What I can't figure out is why she stopped without saying anything…she just kept hold of my arm. That left me feeling confused, but before I could think about it any further Kaworu took hold of my other arm and glared at Asuka. I was starting to feel like the prize in some kind of competition at that precise moment, as both girls clung unto me making movement difficult. I stumbled and dropped the flashlight…that was where I drew the line. After that I refused to allow either one of them to take my arm, no longer willing to sit back and be a part of their squabbles. We made it down to the parking lot without further incident, until Asuka now decided she would seat herself in my lap.

The less said about that the better. Sufficed to say it was a rather…difficult experience for me. We drove around for a while, Asuka shifting about a little as we did so, making me feel very uncomfortable and filling my mind with less than savoury thoughts. In truth I'm finding it all too much to cope with, first the revelation that I am attracted to Asuka…and for her to keep being so forward, I just don't know how to react. Even more confusing is learning that Rei and Kaworu are our friends from our childhood, the ones who moved away after the 'accident'. Now that makes me uncertain of how to behave around them, I'm sad to admit I only vaguely remember them, ten years have made my memories of them distant at best.

Still, I can remember fragments, and as I recover more of them the picture becomes clearer. I know that the four of us were close friends back then, that much I can still manage to remember. But there was something else, some other truth hiding there, just out of my grasp, something that tells me to hold back when I get close to Asuka…at least while they are there. The vehicle came to a halt, disrupting my thoughts and causing me to pay attention to the world around me once more. The others were already getting out, although Asuka made no move to do so, obviously content to remain here, on my lap.

"Um…Asuka?"

She turned to look at me, shifting around, cerulean blue eyes sparkling with mischief.

"Yes Shinji?"

Her honeyed words sent a shiver up my spine, in part because of the closeness of our faces once more.

"Would you mind moving? I can't get out with you sitting there."

She smiled at me.

"The charge is one kiss, on the lips, non-negotiable."

I looked over at where the others were standing, waiting for us, feeling all too conscious of their stares upon us. I felt a streak of anger flash through me; wordlessly I pushed her off me, not willing to embarrass myself once again. She pouted at me, obviously upset at my behaviour but said nothing as my father secured the SUV and we walked over to the restaurant where we would be dining. It was an Italian place, a rarity in Japan, even more so considering its owners were Japanese. They were in fact old friends of our parents who visited Italy when they were younger and developed a love for the cuisine. As such, on their return, they had opened an Italian restaurant in the city, even going to the trouble of getting a chef all the way from Italy to run the kitchen.

Because of that the food was incredible, a far cry from Japanese cuisine. This has of course made the restaurant very popular with the local people, and in fact has earned it a number of recommendations that has people coming from all over Japan to sample their cuisine. We stepped inside, my parents greeted by the maitre'd, or at least that I believe is the world they used before being led into the restaurant proper, towards our usual table. That rather neatly leads me back to the present where Asuka is still only inches away from my face, regarding me with a slightly confused expression, well it could be worse…I think. I was grateful when she pulled back a little, but that was when I noticed she had taken a firm hold of my arm.

Realising my mistake I sighed in defeat, knowing all too well that there was no way I would get free from her for the remainder of the evening. We followed the owner towards one of the more private table near the rear of the restaurant, I spotted Mana as we passed by and waved with my free hand. She waved back, although when she looked at Asuka clinging onto me she seemed a little sad. In truth I'm not sure why her seeing Asuka dragging me around like a rag doll would upset her, at least not since we tried dating that one time, going out to a film and dinner. I enjoyed myself but…I don't know how to say it but it felt more like I was going out with a sister than a girlfriend. I won't deny I enjoyed the movie, or that I also liked the meal we had afterwards but still there wasn't any spark there.

That was what my parents had told me they had felt the first time they went out together, some kind of connection between them, something beyond explaining that simply told them that they would spend the rest of their lives together. I suspect that Mana felt its absence as well because when I walked her home at the end of the night, we stayed outside for a little while, talking. We talked again about the movie, and the meal, both ways of avoiding the real thing. In the end she was the one who spoke up; voicing the thoughts that had been swirling around in my own mind, saying that we should perhaps remain 'just friends'. Still, even after that declaration she kissed me on the cheek softly and gave me her thanks before going inside…I half recall there being something else, something unspoken in her eyes.

When I got back Asuka was waiting for me, I'm not sure why but I kind have suspected that she hadn't moved very much since I'd left. Putting on a smile I tried to fend her off, but she saw through my act and asked me what was wrong…I hesitated before answering, telling her that Mana and I were just going to remain friends. There was something in her eyes for a moment, and then she asked me again, wanting to know what happened. I don't know why but I found myself irritated by her question. I threw out an answer and walked off, decided on taking a shower to cool off. After that Mana and I got more distant…and whenever she looks at me I can see that same twinge of sadness there.

I forced those thoughts down as we had finally reached our table; my parents were the first to sit down, taking the two chairs closest to the wall of the restaurant. Aunt Kyoko was next, taking the chair opposite them leaving two pairs of chairs available. It was at this point that Asuka and Kaworu got into a small argument about who I was going to sit next to, and after deciding that discretion was the better part of valour I seated myself next to Rei, bringing a premature end to their argument. My decision was met with surprised looks from all three adults, as well as Rei herself. As for Kaworu and Asuka…they both looked upset and frowned at being forced to sit next to one another.

I was surprised when I heard a soft chuckle from beside me; it seemed that Rei was rather amused at her sister's predicament. I couldn't help but smile at the sound of her laughter, a sound I had long forgotten. It's strange now that I begin to realise just how much I had forgotten, all those times we used to play together, all the moments the four of us shared were lost…and no matter how hard I try to understand it I just can't sort out in my head why. I was pulled back from my ponderings when a waiter arrived, looking to take our drinks order. My mother and Aunt Kyoko decided to opt for sharing a bottle of sake, while my father just had green tea as he was driving. Asuka decided on something fizzy and Kaworu likewise, Rei and I both simply ordered glasses of water.

She looked over at me, staring at me in an almost accusatory way for a moment before turning her attention back to the menu in front of her. I turned my gaze to my own menu at last, trying not to think about the look that she gave me, one that seemed remarkably familiar…then it hit me, and I knew the last time she had looked at me like that. It was when we were four years old, and her parents were treating us to ice cream. We both asked for the same flavour, vanilla, and unfortunately it had turned out there was only enough for one and a half left. Her parents suggested that we share, but I told them that I didn't mind chocolate either, so I ended up having the same as Asuka. That was when Rei looked at me like that, accusing me of something but I in truth couldn't tell what.

We ordered soon after the drinks arrived, the waiter jotting down our orders and gathering the menus before hurrying away. As everyone sipped at their drinks there was silence at first, until Aunt Kyoko finally decided that the silence was getting to her.

"So liebchen…how far have you and Shinji gotten?"

Asuka immediately started choking on her drink while her face shaded crimson, before managing to splutter out a reply.

"Mama! Stop embarrassing me!"

Aunt Kyoko simply giggled in response.

"But liebchen, doesn't a mother have a right to know these things?"

"Not in the middle of a restaurant!"

At this point Kaworu decided to chime in.

"That's because she hasn't gotten anywhere with him. Last I heard she was telling everyone in their class he was just a 'childhood friend'."

"I…but…that's…"

Asuka struggled for a response, she looked to me for help but I kept silent, knowing better than to get involved in this sort of conversation.

"Besides, according to my sister he was more interested in checking out her underwear than yours Asuka."

Now it was Rei's turn to cough and blush, although she like me kept silent even as I felt my own cheeks heat a little at that statement…

"That's my boy!"

"Dad!"

Now she's set dad off…great! It was bad enough this morning when he found us in the hallway…I'm still praying he doesn't try and give me the 'birds and the bees' talk again. The last time he tried…sufficed to say I wouldn't even look at Asuka for a week afterwards. That of course ended abruptly when Asuka got tired of me quote 'ignoring her' and cornered me, demanding an explanation. Much to my misfortune I was at a loss for words, my father's talk still fresh in my mind at the time. I found myself looking and thinking thinks I wouldn't have normally, thankfully our school uniform is not exactly revealing so they went no further than that…after all it took her being half naked and wearing my shirt for me to realise something.

She got increasingly frustrated when I refused to answer her, getting far too close for comfort to me. In desperation I blurted out the first thing that came to mind, which to my continuing embarrassment was exactly what had been bothering me all this time. She of course leapt away, flushing crimson before running away from me. The next week was spent with Asuka being the one to avoid me, as every time she so much as glanced at me her face turned scarlet. I can still remember our parents asking me about it but I adamantly refused to tell them. It was bad enough with the rumours at school that were spreading…most people were saying we must have had a fight, and then made up afterwards…although their rendition of 'made up' was far too graphic for me.

Sufficed to say the rumour mill never really got board of that particular topic and that was what eventually led to Toji and Kensuke calling Asuka and I 'newlyweds'. But putting that thought aside I was glad to see that the food had finally arrived, putting an end to that particular line of conversation. We all dug into our respective meals, savouring the selection of different flavours. There was little talking as we ate, mostly questions from one of the adults directed at Rei or Kaworu, asking their opinion of the city after being away from it for so long, as well as the occasional question about their time away. One question in particular, from my mother, had Rei choking slightly and taking a sip of her water.

"So, have either of you had any boyfriends?"

Kaworu was the first to speak up.

"I have Aunt Yui, but Rei hasn't. She's still waiting for that special someone…her childhood crush."

Rei very nearly stood up, obviously upset by here sister's words.

"Kaworu! How could you…"

Her sister just winked at her in response. That was when my mother turned to face her and asked her a question that very nearly made my heart stop.

"So, even after all this time she still has that crush on Shinji?"

Beside me Rei gasped, moving in slow motion I turned to look at her, blue met red for an instant before she ran off, heading towards the entrance and out of the restaurant. The rest of the table was still in a state of shock at this point; obviously no one, not even Kaworu, had been expecting that reaction. Not knowing what else to do I excused myself as well and went after her, hoping that I could at least try and undo some of the damage that had been done. I followed as quickly as I could, weave between the waiters and apologising to the maitre'd, as I swept past. Soon I was outside, desperately looking around to see what direction she had gone only to catch sight of a streak of blue to my left.

"Ayanami!"

She refused to slow down and I was forced to run flat out to catch up with her. Between breaths I found myself once again silently thanking Toji for convincing me to join the basketball team, before that running like this twice in one day would have been impossible. Now…well now it just leaves me a little winded rather than passed out. I made ground, catching up to her at the first intersection and gently taking hold of her hand silently asking her to stop. Much to my relief she complied, but still she refused to look me in the eyes and her voice was cold and distant when she spoke.

"What do you want Ikari?"

I paused, not really having thought out what I was going to say…in the end I simply used my 'stock in trade' response.

"I'm sorry."

At first she didn't respond, but then suddenly she spun round, facing me with eyes filled with tears.

"Why did it have to be you! All this time! Holding on to that one memory of the boy I cared about…to find out he chose someone else!"

"I…don't understand."

"That day! You chose her! Chose Asuka! You comforted her! Held her so close!"

I struggled for a moment to understand what she was talking about…then it hit me, she meant the day of the accident. I had been so busy comforting Asuka…I never even realised they were there.

"Rei…I'm really sorry…I-I didn't know…"

"Is that all you can say to me? That you're sorry? Save your apologies for someone who wants them…just leave me alone."

For a moment I considered doing just that, but part of me refused to budge. Years of dealing with Asuka have forced me to grow a backbone somewhat, and this is nothing compared to some of her outbursts. Swallowing I stepped forwards and encircled her with my arms, pulling her into a gentle embrace. At first she resisted, but then slowly began to melt into me, crying softly against my chest. We remained like that for a while…at least until she dried her tears and I managed to convince her to come back with me, pointing out that unless we went back we would miss out on desert. She actually laughed at that remark, before taking my hand as the two of us began to walk back, ready to face whatever awaited us now that our old bond friendship was renewed and I was forgiven.

_AN: Yes, I know it's been half of forever since I updated. The only explanation I can give is tremendous writer's block; coupled with the fact I initially tried to do this with Kaworu and it just wouldn't come out right._

_As for the next chapter…no promises on when, only that there will be one. I'm working on a few other things as well so please bear with me, I plan to have some other updates out in the next few months, but no guarantees._

_Thank you all for sticking by me on this one, please review as I enjoy your comments and hopefully ongoing support._

_Till next time,_

_H._

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	9. Memories Rei

**In a Perfect World: 9 – Memories (Rei)**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction._

When he first sat down beside me I felt uncomfortable. Not simply because of his closeness but also because of the comments everyone was making. I admit it isn't as bad as I at first thought…but that still doesn't mean that I like him like that. I'm still looking for that boy, the one from when we were younger, and the one who used to make me smile. That's who I want, not him, not this boy who manages to get me so riled up inside. The meal was excellent; its been a long time since I've had food like this, not since Kaworu and I were much younger. Thankfully because everyone was so busy enjoying his or her food there was a break in the conversation. It didn't last long though, because as soon as we were finished eating and dessert menus were handed out conversation picked up again.

That was when it happened, when my whole world came crashing down. I can't remember what it was that lead us to that conversation, nor who it was who started the topic but it turned to discussing the past. Of all things that were said then it was my sister's words that hurt me the most. The calm way in which she shattered my illusions, revealed to me the forgotten secret of my past to everyone. She announced it to them all, the identity of my crush, that the boy I had fallen in love with all those years ago was now sitting right beside me…I could recall it now, that one special moment when he had made me so happy, the moment that I had smiled for him, the moment that I had fallen in love with Shinji.

Some of the other girls had been picking on me because of my appearance and he had stood up for me, taking the beating in my place because he refused to hit girls. Afterwards, despite his injuries, he had asked me if I was all right. He was just so infuriatingly kind back then, that's why it hurt so much when he had betrayed me. He held her, not me…I can't…I can't do this! Unable to bear it any longer I ran away, out of the restaurant and down the road, not really caring where I went so long as I got away from there…away from him. Soon, I heard footfalls behind me and knew one of them had come after me. I chanced looking back and almost fell when I saw it was…I never would have expected him to be the one who had come after me.

I pushed myself as hard as I could, trying to get away, but to my misfortune he was faster than me and slowly but surely closed the distance between us. I refused to face him, even when he finally caught up with me, not wanting to see his face for fear of the emotions it would cause to surface within me. I couldn't see it but sis hand reached out to me, catching hold of my own, silently asking for me to wait and to listen. I did so reluctantly, not wanting to deal with the torrent of emotions that still ran through me. Trying to hide this inner turmoil I spat out a question, one meant to wound him, to make him walk away.

"What do you want Ikari?"

"I'm sorry."

For a moment I stood there, not knowing what to think or what to say. All the sadness, the pain of that day boiled up inside me and I spun to face him, tears filling my eyes as I virtually screamed at him.

"Why did it have to be you! All this time! Holding on to that one memory of the boy I cared about…to find out he chose someone else!"

He faltered, but still he would not look away.

"I…don't understand."

"That day! You chose her! Chose Asuka! You comforted her! Held her so close!"

Now it seemed that comprehension dawned in his eyes, as he seemed to loose the focus of his gaze, no doubt his mind going back to that day.

"Rei…I'm really sorry…I-I didn't know…"

"Is that all you can say to me? That you're sorry? Save your apologies for someone who wants them…just leave me alone."

I turned away, no longer able to bear looking at him. This of course meant I had no warning when his arms gently wrapped around me and I felt myself being pulled gently against his chest as he held me ever so gently. In that moment, as I felt the heat from his body flooding into me I finally understood what it was that truly happened that day…Asuka was an only child, just like he was. She had no-one to support her, comfort her, to hold her in that time of need while Kaworu and I had one another but she had nobody…that was why he had chosen to hold her that day. In being angry I was being selfish to both her and to Shinji; I had seen only my own needs and wants, refusing to see that they were both hurting; that my sister was hurting too.

Finally I was able to let go of that anger I had been carrying around with me for so long, ready to move on with my life. When he finally released me and we turned to go back I could not help but feel guilty, silently I promised myself I would make it up to him…to them all. We walked back slowly; I was afraid to speak lest I ruin the moment and so remained content to go on in silence, savouring the special sense of contentment I had found from those fleeting moments spent within his warm embrace. I'm starting to fear that I might have fallen in love with him all over again, but this time we're not children anymore and it's not so simple as it was back then…I know that Asuka cares for him, perhaps she even loves him as well, but she is the least of my worries.

I'm almost certain that Kaworu is in love with him as well, she already had started to have a crush on him back then, he was the reason she dated all those other boys when we were younger, and also the reason why she left them; they weren't Shinji. I hate this sensation, knowing that no matter what I do someone I care about will get hurt…I looked up to find myself standing outside the restaurant. After my outburst I felt self conscious about going back in. Shinji gently took my hand, causing me to turn and look at him. His eyes were so kind, so like they had always been and I couldn't help but smile. He nodded to me and I nodded back, no longer afraid I allowed him to lead me back inside, to face whatever may come…

I was a little surprised when no one seemed to react, evidently I was worried over nothing. Still, as we approached the table where the others were waiting they all looked concerned, even Asuka. After all that had happened, the fights we had since the day I returned she still worried about me…

"I'm sorry everyone. I apologise for making you all worried."

Asuka seemed satisfied with my words as she immediately retorted.

"Apology accepted wonder girl. Just don't do it again because next time I won't let idiot Shinji go after you."

Looking at their smiling faces I finally understood…I'm home.

Despite my little 'outburst', we did have dessert in the end; it arrived a little bit after Shinji brought me back. Kaworu had taken the liberty of ordering my favourite ice cream while I was gone, obviously she had no doubt that he would be able to bring me back...despite her being the one who caused it in the first place. Still, if she hadn't then I would never have realised my mistake, and kept on being angry with them both because of that day. She smirked at me, evidently she knew something I didn't and it took me a moment to realise what she had done. Shinji and I had apparently wanted the same flavour, and rather than getting us two individual glasses she had ordered a double portion to be served in single bowl and provided with two spoons.

I flushed as soon as I saw this, taking a slightly worried glance at Asuka. I was all too aware of how possessive she was being of Shinji, and wondered if she was going to react badly. However, I was surprised for once though, as she didn't seem angry about it. In fact her expression was saying something like 'just this once'; evidently she was willing to let this slide for the time being, given what had happened. I nodded my thanks and began to dig in, savouring the flavour of the ice cream as Shinji dug in from the opposite side and we worked our way towards the middle. The ice cream was consumed quickly, and it wasn't long before there was only a single spoon left.

Now, I looked over at Shinji, whose gaze had lifted from the small lump of ice cream to meet with mine. He paused for a moment before grinning wickedly at me, for a moment I hesitated, wondering just how far Asuka and he had gotten, was he the same innocent boy I used to know or had she succeeded in corrupting him with her wiles…despite Kaworu's assurances that the two didn't seem to have gone that far. Unfortunately, while I was lost in my musings Shinji snatched the last bit of ice cream and now held it on his spoon, poised to eat. Unwilling to give up I deployed my last and greatest weapon against him…the puppy dog eyes. They always used to work when we were kids, hopefully they should still work now.

Shinji faltered for a moment, I could tell he was resisting me but slowly I could see his resolve fail and he held out his spoon to me. Without thinking I ate the ice cream of it, not realising what I had just done until I heard both Asuka and Kaworu gasp. Shinji, for his part looked confused, obviously he had no idea what was going on either. For a moment I just stared at my sister, trying to understand what she was so shocked about…then it clicked. I had eaten from Shinji's spoon, the one that had been in his mouth! It was like an indirect kiss! My cheeks heated at once as I began blushing, they stayed that way for a long time, even after Uncle Gendo had settled the bill and all the way back to the car. Just as it was finally fading Kaworu spoke up, making it come back full force.

"I'm shocked Rei, first you flash him your panties, and now you indirectly kiss him, all in the same week. I thought I worked quickly but it seems I underestimated you…so, how long before you have him writhing around and calling your name?"

"Kaworu!"

That was when Asuka jumped into the conversation.

"That's enough! Don't get any ideas. Shinji is mine. I just let you borrow him because you were upset."

As if to demonstrate she took a firm hold on Shinji's arm, causing him to blush slightly, but other than that he said or did nothing. Once again I started worrying just how well trained she had gotten him…

"That's enough. It's getting late and we need to get back home. Well, at least the three of you don't have school tomorrow."

That pretty much ended our little debate as we all filled back into the car, taking the seats we had done on the original journey on the way back, until we finally pulled up in the parking lot of the apartment building. Unfortunately it appeared that the power was still not back on, meaning we would have to use the torches again while finding our way back up to our apartment.

"Kyoko, why don't you and Asuka stay with us tonight? I don't like the idea of leaving you two alone with the power out like this."

"Alright Yui, I assume that Asuka will stay in Shinji's room? Like when they were younger."

"That will be fine, won't it Shinji?"

"Um…yes?"

I noticed that his reply was a little hesitant, and turning to look, I noticed Asuka gripping his hand rather firmly. Before I could say or do anything however, Aunt Yui had turned her attention to Kaworu and myself.

"Rei and Kaworu, I want the both of you to stay with us as well. You can go back to your apartment to dress for school first thing in the morning. Besides, Shinji has plenty of room for the both of you."

Now Asuka's expression turned sour, obviously she had been expecting to have him all to herself…Shinji meanwhile was starting to look rather pale, a little further and he would be starting to rival my own pale skin tone. Of course, the adults seemed strangely oblivious to this as they set out towards the entrance to the stairs, the rest of us trailing behind them.

The apartment building seemed dark and ominous as we made our way slowly along its pitch black corridors, full night had fallen now and as tonight was that of a new moon, there was not even a pale glow. The only light source was the torch that Shinji held, meaning that the three of us, by mutual agreement suspended any arguments for now and hung close to him, as both the source of light and warmth. Of course, having the three of us practically hanging off him our progress was relatively slow and it wasn't long before the adults were swallowed up by the darkness. By the time we made it to the apartment they were already inside waiting for us, apparently they had spent the time while they waited for us setting things up. They had located a number of candles and they now illuminated the apartment.

"Ok, we've set up the spare futons in Shinji's room. There were only two so we've had to push them together, the three of you will have to share. I also laid out some of Shinji's shirts for you to wear, don't worry, they're just out of the wash."

I flushed a little at the thought of wearing one of Shinji's shirts, even if it had been washed first; it just seems so…intimate. Looking over at Kaworu she seemed to be far less upset about it, in fact she seemed almost delighted at the thought. Asuka on the other hand…I don't know how to describe her expression, my first choice would have been neutral but it was more complex than that. There was something else, something in her eyes that said that it wasn't the first time and that though made me very uncomfortable. It hinted that their relationship had gotten a lot further than I had at first thought…but surely if they had done 'that' then Aunt Kyoko and Aunt Yui would never have allowed them to sleep in the same room together…unless they didn't know about it.

Shaking my head to clear away such thoughts, I was getting nowhere with these wild ideas, I focused instead on the task at hand. Following Asuka and Kaworu into the bathroom where the shirts were laid out for us to get changed into, leaving Shinji to get changed in his room. As we undressed I couldn't help but take a quick glance at Asuka, she is effectively my competition now so I might as well know what I'm up against…Asuka had definitely developed since we were younger, time had been kind to her and she had filled out nicely, I wouldn't be surprised if Shinji and her were doing 'it' with her breasts like that. I chanced another look but Asuka caught me this time, and immediately pulled the red shirt she had picked out and clutched it to her breasts.

"Stop checking me out wonder girl. That's a privilege reserved for Shinji and Shinji alone."

"Oh, so you've been letting him sample the good before he buys them. I didn't know you were so wicked Asuka."

"You're an even bigger pervert than those stooges! Of course we haven't done that!"

Asuka flamed a healthy red at Kaworu's statement, leaving me both relieved and embarrassed. At least that reaction basically proved that my earlier suspicions were false. After that we changed in silence, Kaworu wearing a wicked grin all the while. Once we were finished we were all dressed in Shinji's shirts, Asuka in red, Kaworu in grey and myself in blue. All we wore beneath was our panties and bras, the rest of our clothes we folded up and left were Aunt Yui had instructed. Leaving the bathroom we made our way to were Shinji's room was, I was about to knock when Asuka simply barged in, not caring whether Shinji was in the middle of changing. I admit I was a little disappointed to find he was done, dressed now in shorts and a t-shirt.

"Um…I can always sleep on the couch..."

That statement was typical Shinji, always trying to make everyone else comfortable at his own expense. Before I could say anything however Asuka spoke up, a sly and seductive smile spread across her face.

"That's ok Shinji, your bed isn't that small after all, and we can just _share_."

"Uh…"

That was pretty much all Shinji said as his eyes went wide as Asuka pressed her lips over his. I simply stood there, stunned at how bold she was being…I may speak my mind but I'm not forward enough to do something like that. A moment after Asuka broke away Kaworu proved that she was more than forthright enough as she pulled Shinji into a fierce kiss. By the time she broke away Shinji's face was utterly blank and he seemed to be a state of complete and utter shock. Seeing this I finally gave in and with a short 'what the hell' kissed him as well. It's impossible to describe what I felt in those few moments while my lips were pressed over his, in truth it was the first time I had kissed anyone and I hadn't known what to expect.

His lips tasted faintly of vanilla, a pleasant taste and one that had me almost licking my lips, and by extension his. I shied away from that impulse; not wanting for this to get that far, although when I finally pulled away his eyes flickered with a brief look of disappointment. He looked at all of us in turn, giving us each a look that spoke volumes before lying down on his bed and seemingly falling asleep. Without a word the three of us laid down on the futons, feeling ashamed of what we had done and apprehensive of what we would have to deal with come morning. As I slipped into unconsciousness I took one last look at Shinji's sleeping form and whispered to him, hoping that he would understand.

"I'm sorry Shinji."

_AN: Yes, I know. It's taken months. That is because at the moment, for reasons both personal and professional I have had almost no time to write, and still don't have much. Updates will be sporadic, but they will come. I thank you everyone who has kept holding on this long._

_Edit: I've made a slight update to the chapter. Please not that they now no longer have school the following day._

_Till then, thank you all very much._

_H._

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


	10. The Morning After Shinji

**In a Perfect World: 10 – Morning After (Shinji)**

_Disclaimer: I do not own Evangelion or any of the characters they are the property of their respective creators. Please be aware that no profit is being made from this work of fan fiction._

Despite the fact I lay down and feigned sleep, it refused to grace me with its presence. My mind was racing, trying to unravel all that had happened. Who would have thought that so much could have changed, all in the course of a single day. The morning had started out normal enough, and although my prank on Asuka backfired things were going ok. Or at least they were right up until that moment when she slipped my shirt over her head and everything changed…even as part of me was commenting on how I wouldn't mind seeing Asuka dressed like that every day a deeper realisation was taking place. Ever since that day…the day of the accident, my image of Asuka has been frozen in place. She had always been the girl who I held while she cried, the girl I wanted to protect so badly.

For the first time I saw her for the person she had become, as opposed to the girl she once was…that was when our relationship began to change. For the first time I looked at Asuka, truly looked at her as a woman, rather than simply as my 'oldest childhood friend'. What I saw left me speechless, just like when my father saw my mother for the first time; she still teases him occasionally about how he got tongue-tied. What had started out as a simple apology started to change into the beginnings of a date and if it hadn't been for running into Toji and Hikari I think I might have actually asked her out on a real date…I know it seems crazy, that after almost ten years my feelings could so quickly change, but I don't think they did, I just never realised they were there in the first place.

Then we ran into Kaworu and Rei and things changed again. At first I wasn't sure what to make of the two of them. After all Rei had basically accused me of staring at her panties the first time we met…I wasn't staring exactly, just, well…my eyes happened to be looking in that particular place! Anyway, I still can't believe she accused me of doing it right in the middle of class, and if that wasn't bad enough Asuka just had to leapt to my defence which inevitably led to Rei's comeback accusing Asuka of 'riding my baloney pony', if the earth could have swallowed me up right there and then I would have been happy. I was only thankful that Hikari has stepped in then, before it had gotten any more out of control. Still, Toji and Kensuke wouldn't stop bugging me about it all week…

It's ironic when you think that once upon a time that Asuka and Rei were friends, even if they had both pretty much forgotten all about back then. I thought that I had finally gotten it all worked out but then there was that incident at the restaurant and I ended up chasing after Rei…that left me even more confused than before as it made me realise that I still have some feelings for Rei as well. Thankfully when I brought her back things seemed to have calmed down, although I don't like the fact that they started treating me like some prize to be won; Asuka is very competitive by nature and Kaworu…well she always was forward, even when we were kids. But Rei…I just couldn't believe it when she started acting that way.

I got angry and almost lost my temper…but when Rei apologised I found my anger evaporating, and that's how I ended up this way, lying here thinking instead of getting some much needed sleep. I'm not quite sure when I finally drifted off, but something heavy shifting about on top of me woke me up again. Opening my eyes slightly I could make out what looked like a red blur hanging above me. Blinking a little to clear the sleep from my eyes, my vision cleared revealing a grinning Asuka…although after a quick glance down it appeared that a grin was all she was wearing. Desperately fighting to stop the reaction that was very quickly taking shape I tore my gaze away, focusing instead on her face.

Caught completely off guard I simply lay there, dumbfounded, my mind still struggling to get fully awake and form coherent thoughts such as 'What is she doing? Why is she naked? And how long is she going to stay that way?'. She leaned closed, moving her head so her breath tickled my ear as she spoke.

"Shinji…"

She literally purred my name, sending shivers down my spine.

"I thought as you have 'morning wood' again, I thought this time I would put it to the use it was intended."

That comment was enough to send my brain to fully awake, evidently if she was going to be doing 'that' with me my mind wanted to be fully alert to enjoy it. Her hands began to slide southwards, gripping the hem of my t-shirt and lifting it over my head. I was about to protest when her lips covered mine in a heated kiss, my protests died as something more primal took over and I began to kiss her back. Meanwhile, her hands were stroking my chest but slowly they began to creep south once more, towards my shorts. Then a thought struck me and I broke away, holding her at arm's length for a moment as I tried to compose my thoughts enough to actually get out coherent speech.

"Asuka! Wait a moment! What about Kaworu and Rei?"

She simply grinned at me again, amusement twinkling in her eyes.

"Don't worry Shinji, they'll get their turn. In the meantime they're keeping each other amused, see?"

I turned to look at them…and jerked awake. All too aware of my present state of arousal I threw of the covers and made a mad dash for the bathroom, intent on taking a cold…no, a very cold shower. I charged out of my room, down the hall and into the bathroom before spinning and locking the door behind me. Only then did I finally feel safe. Calming down somewhat I began to undress, putting my clothes to one side before pulling opening he shower door and starting to step inside…only to find I wasn't alone. Asuka, Rei and Kaworu were already there, all naked and engaged in something that should have given me a colossal nosebleed. As it was I suddenly found myself feeling rather uncomfortable downstairs…it was at that point that they seemed to notice me and paused.

"Come join us Shinji."

Once again, that was the point at which I woke up. This time, there was no Asuka laying on top of me, and after checking over to my side, Asuka, Rei and Kaworu were all still in their beds. Breathing a sigh of relief, and hoping that I really was awake this time I slipped out of my room once again before heading to the bathroom. This time, before I locked the door I was careful to ensure the shower was empty. Thankfully it was and I went back and locked the door before undressing and taking the shower I was in desperate need of. The cold water eased my problem rather quickly and soon I found myself able to relax and forget the rather…interesting things that had happened in my dreams. I was fairly certain that I wouldn't be able to look at any of them for a while without blushing crimson.

I showered for as long as I dared, before slipping out in nothing but a towel with last night's boxer shorts beneath. I returned to my room, opening the door carefully so as not to wake the remaining occupants. Thankfully none of them appeared to have woken up just yet, that should mean I can get my clothes and get out again without any trouble. I slipped inside, picking my way between the three girls carefully, and making my way to the chest of draws containing my clothes. I slid the top one open retrieving a fresh pair of boxers, from the second I pulled out some socks. Sliding them closed I turned to the wardrobe, pulling out a light blue shirt, similar to the previous day's and my black trousers. With these in hand I turned to make my way back towards the door…but found that Asuka was in my way.

"Mmmm…Shinji…"

Before I could react, she body tackled me, sending us both falling backwards, onto my bed. It took me a moment to recover from the disorientation during which time Asuka pinned me to the bed, entwining her legs with mine to keep me in place. From the look on her face she was dreaming again…I'm not sure whether to be flattered or scared that she's having 'those' kinds of dreams about me. Unfortunately I wasn't given much time to consider as she pressed herself tightly against me and her lips covered my own. That was when I found my opportunity, as her grip relaxed for a moment. Silently praying that she would forgive me I rolled her off from on top of me before throwing myself sideways.

I landed between the still sleeping forms of Rei and Kaworu, knocking my head on the chest of drawers behind me in the process. My vision went a little blurry as I lay there, staring up at the familiar ceiling, too stunned to move. After a moment I felt two sets of arms start to encircle me, looking to either side I found that both Rei and Kaworu girls were drifting towards me in their sleep. Now, rather unfortunately given the fact it was my shirts they were wearing and the fact that I am more heavily built than either of them the collars were rather loose…I had to fight not to get a nose bleed at the sight of them, in fact it may only have been because the blood was already flowing elsewhere…panicking I struggled to my feet, escaping their grasp and stumbled back to the bathroom, locking the door behind me.

Putting down my clothes I moved over to the mirror and probed at my head gingerly. It was a little sore but didn't seem to be bleeding, wetting a small towel and holding it against the sore patch made the throbbing go away and a few moments later I pulled it away dropped it across the edge of the sink before getting changed. I didn't dare return to my room, for fear of what might happen this time; especially if Asuka is finally awake…instead I decided to head for the kitchen instead. My choice made, I wrung out the towel before throwing it in the wash basket and heading out towards the kitchen, looking find something to eat.

Already the smells of breakfast were wafting out of the kitchen; no doubt mom was preparing something. I continued onwards, only to be surprised when I found mom and aunt Kyoko seated at the kitchen table, talking about something while dad was the one doing the cooking. In truth I shouldn't really be all that surprised, dad was the one who taught me most of my cooking skills. At the time he told me 'women love a man who can cook', and mom had once told me it had been his cooking that had finally swayed her into marrying him. Of course, I didn't believe a word of it but still…I mean it didn't hurt to know how to feed myself after all. Well, that was until Asuka found out and started getting me to make her lunch occasionally.

It's not that I minded the actual cooking, it was more the reaction that Touji, Kensuke gave when they found out…they may be my closest friends, besides Asuka, but there are times when I would really love to murder the both of them. That was the point at which they started referring to Asuka and I as the 'newlyweds'. Asuka of course got angry, and demanded that I do something about it which only served to fuel the fire. Within a week it had gotten out to pretty much the whole school…it took a lot of persuading to keep Asuka from killing my friends at that point, even if I was strongly tempted to help her. Anyway, from that point on every time Asuka and I go into an argument it was referred to as a lover's spat and so on…I'm reasonably certain they will get tired of it eventually.

Snapping my attention back to the present I noticed that my mother and aunt Kyoko had paused for a moment in their conversation to stare at me intently, almost as if they were looking for something…after a moment they both sighed and went back to their conversation. Feeling somewhat unnerved by their strange behaviour I decided that perhaps my father might be a safe bet and silently moved past them, coming to stand at his side.

"Dad?"

He paused briefly to turn and look at me, before returning his attention to the various pots currently bubbling away on the stove.

"What is it Shinji?"

"Can I help at all?"

Once again he paused for a moment, his eyes moving across each of the items, no doubt checking them off in his mind.

"You can start on the miso soup, while I finish up the fish."

"Ok."

Rolling up my sleeves and washing my hands I moved back to stand at my father's side, retrieving the ingredients from the cupboards while dad put an extra pan onto the stove. I was just starting the broth when mom spoke up.

"We'll leave the two of you to the cooking, Kyoko and I are going to retreat to the lounge to continue our conversation."

And without another words, they upped and left, leaving my dad and I alone. I swear, I really don't understand girls, or women…we continued on in silence for a little while, at least until everything that needed preparation was on and only needed some occasional attention to ensure it was cooking properly. My dad stepped away from the stove, moving over to the taking out a carton of orange juice and pouring two glasses. He returned the carton to its place, before carrying the two glasses over to the table and beckoning for me to sit down. Do as I was told I moved to sit across from him, making sure that I could keep an eye on the stove as well. After I was settled he went into his 'pose' the one mom always goes on about him using.

"So, Shinji, did you sleep well?"

"Uh, yeah. I guess…"

"The girls didn't disturb you?"

"No…"

"Not even Asuka?"

"No."

"Hmmm, I see."

We lapsed into silence once again, both of us sipping at our orange juice. My dad seemed to have a disappointed look on his face, while I was trying to figure out what the heck was going on. I mean, why exactly would they have disturbed me? I mean, we were all pretty tired after everything that happened, especially after this morning…that's when it hit me.

"Dad…this doesn't have anything to do with what you saw this morning does it?"

He remained conspicuously silent.

"DAD! I told you! Nothing happened! It was just a misunderstanding!"

"Of course Shinji, the exact same kind of misunderstanding your mother and I had when we were dating."

I was getting frustrated, what do I have to say to get him to believe me?

"I. Am. Not. Dating. Asuka."

But before he could respond I was interrupted by another voice from behind…a voice that I hadn't been expecting to hear and given what I had just said, most definitely didn't want to.

"Oh really?"

Whirling round, sure enough I found Asuka standing in the entryway, still wearing one of my shirts…and probably not a lot else. Desperate, I looked to my father for support…only to find he had stood up and gone back over the stove, keeping well out of the way.

"Um…I…uh…"

Asuka started to advance towards me, a wicked smile on her face, one that promised nothing good was going to happen to me. Desperately searching for any way I might be able to get out of this in one piece I finally came up with a plan…a plan so positively crazy that it might just work.

"Look!"

I shouted, pointing past her.

"A decoy!"

"What? Where?"

Leaving Asuka suitable distracted I made a break for it, running hell for leather towards the front door and my only real chance of escape.

"Shinji, make sure you and Asuka are back in time for breakfast, ok?"

"Yes mom!"

I called as I swept past her and aunt Kyoko, a moment later there was a loud cry of frustration and the sounds of Asuka pursuing…what did I ever do to deserve this? I wonder if I offended kami in some way? Not even stopping to put my shoes on I fled down the hallway, hit by a sense of déjà vu at how similar this was to the events of yesterday…

Three minutes and one mad dash later the result was unfortunately the same as the previous day. A triumphant, and slightly less naked Asuka was sitting astride my chest, grinning wickedly at me. Even if I've gotten more athletic since joining the basketball team, Asuka still runs faster than I do…that in itself shouldn't be that much of a problem, given the fact she technically shouldn't be able to overpower me…but she's a girl and a friend so I can't hurt her which means I basically have to lie here, totally at her mercy and just bear out whatever punishment she has in mind for me. Speaking of which, given yesterday as an example, I'm a little worried that she hasn't actually said or done anything to me yet…well, except for that lurid grin on her face.

"Um, Asuka?"

"Yes Shinji?"

Her grin didn't falter…I really am starting to get very nervous about this, I mean, what if anyone sees us like this…again.

"Shouldn't we go back to the apartment? I mean you're…almost naked again?"

"Oh? And does that bother you Shinji?"

She almost purred as she lowered herself down onto me, making sure that I got a good glimpse down the open collar of her shirt. Flushing I turned away, trying to at least preserve her modesty, even if she didn't want to.

"Yes it bothers me! I mean what would happen if anyone saw us? You know everyone at school calls us the 'newly weds'! I don't even want to think they would say if they saw this…"

"I doubt they would bat an eye. Considering they already believe we're lovers. Who are we to make them liars?"

Finally I had enough, being as gentle as possible I pushed her off from on top of me.

"Asuka! What in the hell is wrong with you! I mean, you keep on going on about being my 'oldest childhood friend' and get mad whenever anyone talks about us being a couple and then you do this, Asuka I…"

My words cut off abruptly when she pressed her lips firmly against my own. I was so shocked, I just lay there, motionless, no knowing how to react. Still, it seemed that some part of my brain knew exactly what to do, as my lips started moving against hers unbidden as slowly the kiss deepened and became more passionate. Asuka is kissing me! Again! But this time she is awake! And for some reason I keep punctuating my thoughts with exclamation marks! I suspect that the higher functions of my brain might have decided to go for a vacation! Asuka kept the contact for a few more moments before pulling away, that same self-assured smile returning to her face.

"So…perhaps now you want to reconsider what you told your father this morning?"

It took me a moment to recover before replying.

"What in the hell did you think you were doing!"

At once her expression changed to one of anger as she snapped back at me.

"Well, I didn't hear you complaining a moment ago!"

"I was in shock!"

"Dammit Shinji! Why can't you just admit that you like me the same way I like you!"

"I…"

Hold on… 

"What did you just say?"

"I. Like. You. Why is that so difficult for you to understand!"

"Um, because you're my 'oldest childhood friend'?"

"I've got a news flash for you idiot, you don't kiss your friends like that."

"Asuka…"

"No! Don't 'Asuka' me Shinji. I've been waiting a long time for this! Ever since my father died…I'm tired of you ignoring me Shinji! I don't want to spent the rest of my life just being your friend."

With that she pushed herself off of me and fled, leaving me stunned into silence and wondering how I had missed what was happening all this time…

_Idiot Shinji! _

_AN: Yes, I know it's been half of forever since the last update but put simply, I've been busy. Work, life and a more than healthy dose of writers block has kept this update on the starting line for a while now. I can't promise that the next one will be any sooner, but at least for the moment I am back in a writing groove. As for my other works…keep and eye out because updates may appear, no guarantees thought._

_  
Thank you everyone for sticking by me this long and for all the reviews._

_Hope to see you all on the next one,_

_H._

_Chapter preread by That Other Guy_


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